Kenya’s Christine Njoki defended her Totalsports Women’s Race title with a blistering time of 30:14 for the 10km race, run in perfect conditions this morning (Sunday 3 August).
“The race wasn’t easy. I wanted to chase the record (referring to the Women’s Only 10km World Record of 29 minutes and 27 seconds, set by Agnes Jebet Ngetich of Kenya in April in Germany) but I missed it,” mused Njoki.
“The next time I come here I know I will prepare well so that I can chase the record. Today I focused on my running a best time first and to defend my title.
“I’m looking forward to racing next week’s Totalsports Women’s Race in Cape Town. If the weather is the same as today, I know I will run another PB there.”
Clare Ndiwa came in second, while Jane Chacha finished third making it a clean sweep for the Kenyans.
Lesotho’s 10km national record holder, Neheng Khatala, delivered a superb performance, setting a new national record of 31:53 for the Mountain Kingdom, finishing close behind the Kenyans and securing an impressive 4th place overall on the day.
“The race was absolutely perfect, the weather was absolutely perfect,” says a very happy Khatala. “I could see on my watch that I was running on a comfortable pace. I didn’t know that I was on record pace (referring to the Lesotho record). I was just pushing with Tayla (Kavanagh – her teammate at Hollywood). We were communicating. From halfway we just pushed a little more.”
If running with her teammate helped Khatala, it did wonders for Kavanagh who crossed the line with Khatala to record her best ever time for the distance of 31:53, 17 seconds faster than her previous best time and a tonic for an athlete who had struggled to return to her form when she clocked 32:10 as a twenty-year-old in 2021.
Recording 32:32 at the SPAR race in Durban last month was an indicator or her return to her best form and she will be delighted to finally have broken through the 32 minute barrier.
Kavanagh was the sole South African in the top ten, on a day which showcased the wealth of African distance running, with athletes from Kenya, Ethiopia, Lesotho and South Africa filling the top ten positions.
RESULTS: 2025 Totalsports Women’s Race Durban
Date: Sunday 03 August 2025
Start Venue: Suncoast Casino, Snell Parade
Finish Venue: Suncoast Casino, Snell Parade
1 Christine Njoki (Kenya) 30:14, 2 Clare Ndiwa (Kenya) 31:37, 3 Jane Chacha (Kenya) 31:51, 4 Neheng Khatala (Lesotho) 31:53, 5 Tayla Kavanagh (South Africa) 31:53, 6 Shewaye Tolosa (Ethiopia) 32:14, 7 Silenat Ejigu (Ethiopia) 33:01, 8 Daisy Kimeli (Kenya) 33:02, 9 Getenesh Agafaw (Ethiopia) 33:05, 10 Monica Jeptarus (Kenya) 33:09
