'I had some doubts' - Mashele celebrates birthday with victory and fastest 5km time on SA Soil at Boxer Super Run
During a season in which he managed just one podium finish in five Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series races and abandoned his hopes of Olympic qualification, Precious Mashele demonstrated today (13 October, 2024) just why one should never write him off. The Boxer Athletic Club top runner who represented South Africa over 5000m at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, defended his Boxer Super Run title in the fastest time ever run by an SA man on home soil.
"I'm very happy to have won today. I had some doubts, as I haven't been racing well, but I reminded myself that it's my birthday, and this win is a gift to myself," said a beaming Mashele moments after crossing the finish line in 13:39 with the Boxer pair of Kabelo Mulaudzi in second (13:40) and Chris Mhlanga in third (13:43). "The race was exciting. We ran the same route as last year, but this time without the wind. All of my Boxer teammates were fierce competition—whenever we race in the RUN YOUR CITY events, they're always on the podium, so I knew they'd push me hard. In the last 2km, I made sure to up the pace so they couldn't catch me."
Making her debut at the Boxer Super Run, Karabo More of the Boxer Athletics Club delivered one of the best performances of her burgeoning career to win the Elite Women’s Race. As training partner and defending champion Glenrose Xaba watched from the sidelines after deciding to save herself for her marathon debut next weekend, More used all of the speed and strength that saw her win last month's Athletics South Africa (ASA) 4km Cross Country title to surge away from runner-up Gerda Steyn (16:25) and third place finisher Cacisile Sosibo (16:28) for a memorable 16:16 victory.
"I've been off the racing scene for a while, so today was all about regaining my confidence,"
says a delighted More. "As part of my comeback, I decided to enter races as they come, just to gauge where I am in my training. My strategy was to stay with the pack, work with the other women, and then in the last 2km, really push. It's all about taking risks and seeing where they put you. I didn't expect to win today—I was running with the big girls. Those girls are very strong. It wasn’t until the last kilometre that I thought, 'I've got this.' That's the key moment in the race. The Boxer Super Run is extremely fast. Winning feels amazing, and I'll definitely be back next year."
For their efforts Mashele and More walk away with a well-deserved R20 000 each, in a race where the top eight finishers in the elite race and the top three male and female finishers as well as the Junior, Open, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, and 70+ age category winners in the Open Wave were also rewarded for their efforts. In total, the second edition of the Durban Boxer Super Run 5k offered a prize purse of R147 200, making it the richest 5km road race in the land.
Lee-Ann Pillay, Head of Marketing at Boxer Superstores described the event which drew a total field of just under 4000 participants, as a resounding success. "Congratulations to Precious Mashele and Karabo More, you took elite racing to the next level and had us all on the edge of our seats. It was an absolute privilege to witness this level of talent right here on South African soil. A heartfelt thank you to the thousands of runners who came out to make the day so special. It was a memorable celebration of fitness, fun, and community spirit, and we can't wait to bring the same excitement to Tshwane for the debut of the Boxer Super Run Tshwane on Sunday, 10 November!"
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