Dlomo wins Mpileng TNU 50km in thrilling sprint finish to underline Comrades credentials as van Zyl sets new course record
- Mosibodi Whitehead
- 6 hours ago
- 3 min read
After 50 gruelling kilometres with an elevation of 600m, only three precious seconds could separate Malusi Dlomo (3:01:14) and Peter Muthubi (3:01:17) at the Mpileng Tshwane North Ultra on Saturday 19 April. Billed as the perfect preparation for the Comrades Marathon, the only single lap 50km ultra marathon in Athletics Gauteng North attracted a mouth-watering lineup of ultra marathon specialists including Comrades champions Tete Dijana and Edward Mothibi, as well as Comrades gold medalists Mthubi, Johannes Makgetla, Givemore Mudzinganyama, Nobuhle Tshuma and Galaletsang Mekgoe. In the end the race was decided by a sprint finish as Entsika Athletic Club's Dlomo closed a one minute gap inside the final 5km to triumph.
"What helped me is that I didn't give up. I checked the route before and knew that there were a lot of downhills towards the end. I have been training for the downhills since I'm preparing for the Comrades Down Run this year. So I could increase my pace on the downhill sections and I saw that I could catch him. I caught him in the last 200m. This race gives me confidence that my fitness is on track for a good run at Comrades. This year my goal is to finish in the top ten at Comrades," explained the man who is coached by legendary Comrades Marathon multiple gold medalist Willie Mtolo.
For crossing the finish line first, Dlomo who is the holder of a 5:40:29 Comrades best, walked away with R15 000 as did the first woman home. After a a disappointing Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon race that saw her unable to finish, Irvette Van Zyl bounced back by winning the woman's race in a course record 3:27:14 to take twelfth position overall. The Hollywood Athletics Club top runner said that her run was an important step towards her Comrades Marathon debut on June 8.
"It was a great day out," she told #TheTopRunner after taking nearly nine minutes off the previous course record. "It's much better doing a 50km long run in a race on the road than my own in our estate running laps and laps. I didn't even know there was a record. I didn't look at that. The plan was to run 4:15 minutes per kilometre and stay comfortable without looking at the watch. The atmosphere was really good with lots of ups and downs on the route. The strength is back in my legs, so I just want to use all the work that I put in for Two Oceans on my next race. I really enjoyed it."
Reflecting on the nearly 2000 participants that ran and walked 50km, 21km, 10km and 5km, Mpileng TNU 50km Race Director Mahlomola 'Hlox' Lebea expressed his gratitude to the running community for supporting an event which is just three years old. Asked about the success of the 2025 event, Lebea said that he believes this race whose first edition took place in April 2023 as a collaborative effort between the Atteridgeville Athletics Club, Addicted to Life Multisports and Lifestyle Club and Madoko Athletics Club, will continue to grow because it is organised by runners for runners.
"Runners understand what runners need. Our race is organised by runners and we involve a lot of clubs around Pretoria North. The growth is exciting. I think that the race has gained a lot of popularity because of the last two events that we have organised. Our marketing tool is what we have done in the previous year. That’s probably why people chose the Mpileng Tshwane North Ultra Marathon. I'm overwhelmed. I really did not expect this turnout. This is exponential growth. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel."