“She may be little, but she is fierce” famously describes Hermia in Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream and if ‘fast’ replaces ‘fierce’ the description perfectly fits 26-year-old Kenyan athlete Christine Njoki.
The diminutive athlete from the distance running capital of the world, the high-altitude Kenyan town of Iten, made mince-meat of this morning’s (Saturday 9 August) challenging Totalsports Women’s Race Cape Town course to win in 31 min 16 sec.
Njoki was in a class of her own, finishing a yawning 63 seconds ahead of her compatriot Jane Chacha, while Clare Ndiwa made it a podium clean-sweep for Kenya, just a second adrift in third.
The race was in celebration of National Women’s Day and in support of PinkDrive, the race’s official charity, and District Six and Cape Town were painted pink as 15 000 runners took to the streets in perfect conditions, just hours ahead of a Cape rain-storm.
Njoki, who set a South African allcomers record of 30 min 14 sec in Durban last week, took the lead from the start to scorch over the hilly 10km course, which included more twists than an Agatha Christie novel, to win in one of the fastest times ever recorded in the Mother City.
Only Ugandan Stella Chesang’s 30:40 in the 2022 Run Your City Cape Town 10km on a made-for-speed course stands as a faster winning time.
“The race was good – I enjoy running in South Africa,” said the Iten-based athlete, Njoki. “The Durban course was fast but this one in Cape Town was more challenging. But I enjoyed the challenges as I’m strong on the hills.
“I wanted to run a good time so I started fast and led until the finish line. When I’m running for a time, I like to be my own so I can set my own pace. Although the others might have been close behind me, I wasn’t aware of them – I just focused on my race.”
Many of Africa’s finest flocked to Cape Town to take part in this morning’s race, providing a depth of quality scarcely seen before in South Africa. Tayla Kavanagh was the sole South African in the top ten at last week’s Totalsports 10km in Durban, whereas Karabo More had that honour in Cape Town, placing 8th in 34:05.
Indicative of the depth of talent was that 2022 winner, Cape Town-based Zimbabwean Fortunate Chidzivo, could only place 15th, while another local athlete, Anel Terblanche, third behind Chidzivo that year, was 20th this morning, in a time just nine seconds off her 2022 effort.
One of South Africa’s leading track, cross country and road athletes, Kyla Jacobs, placed 16th in 35:50, but her race represented a return to competition following the birth of her daughter five months ago with the Cape Town athlete well satisfied with her first competitive outing in seventeen months.
While the race was ‘no-contest’ up front, that was far from the case in the battle for the minor placings. Ndiwa shaded Chacha for much of the race, with the latter biding her time until unleashing her finishing sprint in the final 100 metres, which took her to second place.
Ethiopian Selam Gebre finished fourth for the second year in succession, with Lesotho’s Neheng Khatala maintaining her consistency in taking fifth place in 32:48, the last athlete under 33 minutes.
“It feels great to be the first South African,” says More. “As soon as I saw the big girls, I was like oh my goodness I’m just here for my race time, but I just had to run with the heart. I ran my own race.”
“Congratulations to Christine Njoki on a well-earned and inspiring victory,” says Michael Meyer, Managing Director of Stillwater Sports. “Well done to the entire elite field for delivering competitive racing of the highest standard. We also extend our deepest appreciation to the 15 000 women who took to the streets of Cape Town today – your energy made this day truly special.
“A heartfelt thank you to our sponsors, partners, and all supporters who continue to uplift and empower this incredible platform. We’re proud to celebrate and empower women through sport, and we’re excited to carry this incredible momentum into Johannesburg for the final Totalsports Women’s Race of 2025 on Sunday, 17 August.”
According to Nikki Crous, Head of Marketing at Totalsports, the Totalsports Women’s Race Cape Town was nothing short of spectacular. “Today we enjoyed a powerful celebration of women. From the vibrant energy at the start line to the sea of pink winding through the streets of Cape Town, the atmosphere was truly electric.
“We are incredibly proud to have been part of this iconic event that honours the strength, spirit, and resilience of women. A heartfelt thank you to every runner, walker, supporter, and partner who made the day so special. Cape Town – you showed up, and you showed us what it means to #RunUnited. We can’t wait to do it all again next year!”
When Njoki was asked what message she’d like to share with thousands of runners on National Women’s Day, the champion replied, “Let’s come together, support each other, motivate each other, and empower women. This has inspired me, and when I return to Kenya, I’ll know that I have motivated women in Cape Town through the Totalsports Women’s Race.”
Totalsports Women’s Race 10km: Results
1 Christine Njoki (Kenya) 31:16, 2 Jane Chacha (Kenya) 32:19, 3 Clare Ndiwa (Kenya) 32:20, 4 Selam Gebre (Ethiopia) 32:32, 5 Neheng Khatala (Lesotho) 32:48, 6 Seniya Bereka (Ethiopia) 33:00, 7 Transfora Ngimbudzi (Tanzania) 33:21, 8 Karabo More (RSA) 34:05, 9 Getenesh Agafaw (Ethiopia) 34:12, 10 Siftolina Chemeda (Ethiopia)34:30; 11 Monica Jeptarus (Kenya) 34:36; 12 Bontu Bonka (Eth) 35:15; 13 Karabo Mailula (RSA) 35:24; 14 Xander van Rensburg (RSA) 35:32; 15 Fortunate Chidzivo (Zimbabwe) 35:36; 16 Kyla Jacobs (RSA) 35:50; 17 Danel Louw (RSA) 36:43; 18 Wiepke Schoeman (Jnr – RSA) 37:02; 19 Yandiswa Shange (RSA) 37:18; 20 Anel Terblanche (RSA) 37:19
