They’re celebrating Philani Sengce’s 43km Cape Town Trail Marathon victory in the streets of Kayamandi tonight after the Stellenbosch-based athlete powered to victory over the more favoured Kenyan athletes in favourable running conditions this morning (Saturday 23 May).
Sengce dug deep to stay in touch with the fly-away East Africans before turning it on in the second half to break his own record by just over two minutes, crossing the blue carpet finish line at the Green Point Stadium precinct in 3:48:03.
And Gauteng athlete, Maryke van Zyl, jumped from second last year to the top of the podium with a solid win over Simoné Malan to win the women’s competition in 5:04:58.
Both Sengce and Van Zyl were ecstatic at winning fully paid trips to compete at Sierra Zinal in Switzerland in July – one of the world’s most competitive trail races – to add to the hefty R50 000 first-across-the-line cheque.
“The guys were racing off so fast in the beginning I thought I was going to die out there,” said Sengce. “But I was so determined to push myself to the limit to win – I was either going to win or die!”
Fortunately, Sengce remained alive in victory, as did his dreams to represent South Africa in next year’s World Mountain and Trail Running Championships. “There is nothing I would value more,” Sengce acknowledged.
Kenyan Simon Ngumbau raced home more than seven minutes behind Sengce to take second with Cape Town’s Kyle Bucklow enjoying an impressive outing on the technically challenging course to finish third, a further four minutes back.
Runaway leader and pre-race favourite, Isaya Kiriago, younger brother of top-rated Kenyan, Philemon Kiriago, appeared to under-estimate the toughness of the route and came home in fourth after slowing to a walk in the latter stages. A third Kenyan, Dennis Kiyaka, rounded out the top five positions.
Kiriago opened an early lead, running at what turned out to be suicidal pace over the first 10km to Kloof Nek, where he had already built a lead of over a minute on his compatriots Ngumbau and Kiyaka with Sengce close behind.
“I knew Isaya would burn himself out,” Ngumbau remarked. “I told him it was a tough course and to be cautious, but he wouldn’t listen and paid the price! I ran more sensibly with Philani in the first half and our tactics proved correct in the end.”
Kiriago began to slow after passing through halfway at Kirstenbosch, allowing Ngumbau and Sengce to close. Senge had opened a gap on Ngumbau and overtook the leader at the Kings Blockhouse Aid Station, 10km from home before racing home to a memorable victory.
Ngumbau and Bucklow moved into second and third respectively in the latter stages of the race as Kiriago slowed dramatically.
Van Zyl and Malan took the early lead in the women’s race and were together at Kloof Corner, running steadily on the steep ascent.
Malan had beaten Van Zyl at the Whale of Trail 53km last July, when the Free State athlete won and Van Zyl finished fourth, while a strong-finishing Landie Greyling overtook Van Zyl, whom she coaches, to win a close victory in last year’s Cape Town Trail Marathon in October.
This time Greyling was fully behind Van Zyl and her input clearly proved valuable. Van Zyl was the stronger athlete in the final quarter and went on to win by over eight minutes in 5:04:58, 17 minutes slower than her time last year.
“I didn’t want to take any chances today,” Van Zyl said. “The win was the important thing and we went out at a steady pace so as not to get into difficulties later in the race.”
The withdrawal of Kane Reilly and a below-par Ebeth Marais robbed the 22km Cape Town Trail race of two anticipated close contests, leaving Limpopo athlete from Magoebaskloof, Remaketse Lekaka, and Cape Town’s Bianca Tarboton straight-forward paths to victory.
The two were a cut above the rest and went out at a brisk pace from the start. Lekaka showed few signs of his recent gruelling race at the Ultra-trail Drakensberg 62km, where he placed third, and opened a commanding three-minute lead by the time the athletes ran past the Kramat.
“My tactics were to make sure of winning by getting a good lead early on and then ease off in the second half to avoid any injuries,” Lekaka related.
Italian Giovanni Bianco and Cape Town’s Riaan Wildschutt, running together in joint second, closed the gap, with Bianco finishing just over a minute behind Lekaka and Wildschutt close behind in third.
Tarboton showed why she is so highly rated by the global adidas TERREX team with a pillar to post victory in 1:48:26, eight minutes clear of Marais and a strong fifth overall, just 6 minutes off Lekaka’s winning time.
“Phew I found that quite tough,” Tarboton admitted. “The course seemed longer than when I ran it last in 2019 and I was more or less on my own the whole way.”
Tarboton’s 1:45:30 winning time in 2019 – her second successive victory – stands as the course record, although event designer, Ryan Sandes, confirmed that the route had been lengthened after COVID. Records indicate that the current route is approximately 1km longer with an additional 60 metres of vertical gain.
Results (RSA unless stated otherwise)
Cape Town Trail Marathon 43km
Men
1 Philani Sengce 3:48:03; 2 Simon Ngumbau (Kenya) 3:55:24; 3 Kyle Bucklow 3:59:50; 4 Isaya Kiriago (Ken) 4:08:46; 5 Dennis Kiyaka (Ken) 4:11:04; 6 Iain Peterkin 4:18:17; 7 John April 4:25: 26; 8 Anele Bans 4:26 48; 9 Kelton Miller 4:29:50; 10 Jason Koopman 4:39:14
Women
1 Maryke van Zyl 5:04:58; 2 Simone Malan 5:13:32; 3 Ashleigh Graham 5:14:31; 4 Jessie Waldman (GB) 5:24:18; 5 Chare Calitz 5:43:33; 6 Ashlin Healy 6:06:54; 7 Chloe Dixon (GB) 6:18:13; 8 Chanelle Simpson (GB) 6:23:45; 9 Suzette Potgieter 6:23:55; 10 Ioanna Kepper 6:34:10
Cape Town Trail 22km
Men
1 Remaketse Lekaka 1:41:59; 2 Giovanni Bianco (Italy) 1:43:08; 3 Riaan Wildschutt 1:43:28; 4 Wano Katjiri 1:48:05; 5 Melihaya Msizi 1:50:51; 6 Mark Duffett (GB) 1:53:17; 7 Petrus Lottering 1:54:37; 8 Elrich Davids 1:56:21; 9 Akesh Kuwar (India) 2:02:48; 10 Alex Gardham (GB) 2:04:27
Women
1 Bianca Tarboton 1:48:26; 2 Ebeth Marais 1:56:35; 3 Louise Dippenaar 2:03:48; 4 Megan Launder 2:35:31; 5 Stephanie Warren (Canada) 2:37:21; 6 Leanna Bosman (Zimb) 2:39:10; 7 Celine Mothay (Spain) 2:39:24; 8 Barbara Sobieszczuk (Pol) 2:39:59; 9 Janet Meyer 2:40:26; 10 Amber Morgan 2:42:03
Cape Town Trail 11km
Men
1 Liam Matthews 51:29; 2 Siyabonga Chabalala 54:04; 3 Michael de Kwaadsteniet 57:11; 4 Owen Davis (GB) 58:27; 5 Luke Croasdale (GB) 1:01:16
Women
1 Heidi de Jager 1:01:27; 2 Minee van den Berg 1:01:37; 3 Olga Antoniceva (Latvia) 1:02:49; 4 Leah F 1:07:38; 5 Nina Verder (Ned) 1:12:03
