Marathon

Mokoka masterclass, flying debut for Simiyu at the 2021 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon

A Sanlam cheer greets Stephen Mokoka as he crosses the finish line to win the Cape Town Marathon at Green Point. Photo: Stephen Granger

By Stephen Granger

Stephen Mokoka handed down a masterclass of marathon running to some of the continent’s best athletes, racing away to his second victory in the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon in cold, wet conditions in Africa’s ‘Mother City’.

Kenyan marathon debutant, Lydia Simiyu, upset pre-race favourites, her compatriot Lucy Karimi and South African Gerda Steyn, to race to victory in record time in the women’s race, her time of 2 hrs 25 min 41 sec improving Kenyan Celestine Chepchirchir’s 2019 mark by more than a minute, to earn the R100 000 incentive on offer for the record.

How fast was that? Lydia Simiyu checks her watch after winning her marathon debut at the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon. Photo: Stephen Granger

The absence of designated pacers and the wet conditions dictated that the race was more likely to be more about positions than time and both the men’s and women’s races yielded hard-fought tense battles with the result in doubt till the final stages. Just 42 seconds separated the top four men with the top four women only 41 seconds apart, all four inside the previous record.

“I’m happy with the win,” remarked Mokoka. “The weather was not compliant for fast times today – I struggled a bit in the wet conditions, although it was good the wind stayed away. And although the rain kept the body cool, we were actually freezing out there!”

It was a far cry from Mokoka’s last marathon at the Tokyo Olympics, where the searing heat undoubtedly played a part in his being forced to drop out of the race after 30km. With no one prepared to take the race our hard, Mokoka opted to stay back amongst the lead pack, not shirking his work, but not setting it up for others to kick past at the finish.

Stephen Mokoka with the Peace Torch congratulated by fellow-South African Melikhaya Frans. Frans placed 6th in his best ever time of 2:11:28. Photo: Stephen Granger

Always in control, Mokoka was clearly the general, timing his moves to perfection to ensure victory. The 36 year old Johannesburg athlete surged hard as the athletes turned for home at the Sea Point Pavilion, 39km into the race. The surge immediately shed a third of the 6-strong lead pack, with fellow South African Melikhaya Frans and Kenyan Alex Saekwo dropping off.

A second surge, appropriately at the sponsor’s refreshment station at 40km, left Ethiopians Gebru Redahgne and Belachew Ameta and Lesotho’s Tebello Ramakongoana fighting out the minor podium positions as Mokoka’s splashed ahead at pace, just dipping under the 2 hrs 10 min barrier to win in 2:09:58.

Devil’s Peak is backdrop as leaders pass Rondebosch Common 23km into the race. Photo: Stephen Granger

Redahgne took second, 16 seconds adrift with Ramakongoana third before collapsing with exhaustion on the finish line.

Would his father-in-law, the late great Zithulele Sinqe have been proud of his effort? “With the win, maybe, but not with the time” Mokoka chuckled. “But I’ll leave the fast time till next year! I’m looking at racing another marathon in March next year.”

Mokoka was delighted with his younger compatriot Frans’ personal best time of 2:11:28 for sixth, but more in the way he raced. “Melikhaya used to be the young kid who looked up to me as a racing role model. And now he is racing shoulder to shoulder with me, telling me to push the pace faster! He is such a brave runner – always prepared to have a go.

“But thank God that the mass race took place at all – that was the triumph today,” Mokoka added. “A great thanks must go to the organisers and sponsors for making this happen. It’s great to see social runners coming back to the races in masses. They really make all the difference.”

The leaders pass Rondebosch Common 23km into the race. Race winner Stephen Mokoka near the front with black. Photo: Stephen Granger

The relatively slow first half – the thirty-strong lead pack went through half-way in 1:05:53 – meant that the pace was likely to pick up in the second, which it did when Mokoka and Frans stepped on the gas at the business end of the race. Mokoka came home with a brisk 1:04:05 second half to achieve the fourth fastest winning time in the race’s history and only 1 min 27 sec slower than his own race record set in 2018.

The women’s race exploded at a similar stage to that of the men’s when the Kenyans finally dropped the hammer and the pace increased dramatically. And whereas it was the experienced marathoner, Karimi, who was expected to be to the fore, her younger compatriot, Simiyu injected the pace which caused Steyn and then Teferi to fall behind.

There was no holding Simiyu as she also drew away from Karimi to race to a memorable debut victory by 12 seconds.

Top three: running is a serious business for winner Kenyan Lydia Simiyu_centre_ and runners-up Lucy Karimi and Aynalem Teferi. Photo: Stephen Granger

“I’m very happy with winning my first marathon,” Simiyu said. “I’m grateful to the organisers for inviting me to run in Cape Town. I was well-prepared and my plan was to run 2hrs 22 min – I had trained hard for that, but I’m still happy with the win.”

Her ambitions for her debut may have been ambitious, but Simiyu trains at her home in Kapsabat, Kenya, at 2044m altitude with training partners who have run 2:22 and 2:23 for the marathon. Her best half marathon came in Marseille in 2019 when she ran second to top Kenyan Brillian Koech in 1:10:17.

Ethiopian Aynalem Teferi takes the final podium position at the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon. Photo: Stephen Granger

Unlike Mokoka, Steyn opted to keep a strong pace from the start, leaving her east African rivals to pace off her. And while her tactics could have cost her a win, Steyn’s front running ensured quality results in what was one of the fastest women’s races on the African continent. On several occasions Steyn opened a gap, only to have her rivals draw level and to outrun her in the final stages.

“Phew – that was a real race!” Steyn remarked. “It was so tactical and difficult to keep a constant pace. There was a lot of surging, then dropping back to a jogging pace before surging again. I don’t think I’ve ever been engaged in such a tactical race. But it was wonderful to be able to run my first marathon in Africa in Cape Town and to finish so close to my personal best time (2:25:28)”.

Gerda Steyn finishes fourth in the fastest time by a South African on the continent. Photo: Stephen Granger

Sanlam Cape Town Marathon Results

Men

1. Stephen Mokoka (South Africa; Boxer) – 02:10:01

2. Gebru Redahgne (Ethiopia) – 02:10:17

3. Tebello Ramakongoana (Lesotho) – 02:10:24

4. Ameta Belachew (Ethiopia; Volare) – 02:10:40

5. Alex Saekwo (Kenya; Greyhound Pro Sports Management) – 02:10:59

6. Melikhaya Frans (South Africa; Ikhamva AC) – 02:11:28

7. Isaac Mpofu (Zimbabwe; Nedbank) – 02:11:41

8. Sboniso Sikhakhane (South Africa; Phantane AC) – 02:11:49

9. Wubshet Jote (Ethiopia; Newton Sports Agency) – 02:12:30