'I handled the heat' - Karabo Mailula bests quality field to win F21 Half Marathon as Mohale grabs third title in Phalaborwa

On a sweltering hot day where the mercury almost touched 30 degrees celsius, Karabo Mailula delivered the hottest performance of her career. Having established herself as a more than capable cross country athlete after winning the national 10km cross country title last year and the FISU World University Championship Cross Country title in March, the Tuks Athletics Club top runner showed that she can also win on the roads when she bested a quality field including Olympian Neheng Khatala of Lesotho to win the F21 Half Marathon in Phalaborwa, Limpopo yesterday.

Mailula, who trains alongside Glenrose Xaba, crossed the finish line in 1:15:03, which was fourteen seconds ahead of Khatala, as Ethiopia's Getenesh Agafaw took third (1:15:24) and World Road Running Championships gold medalist Cacisile Sosibo claimed fourth position in 1:15:33. Speaking to #TheTopRunner, the 22-year-old University of Pretoria athlete explained that because the race started at 13H30 and she was concerned about the heat, her plan was to run behind the lead bunch for the first 19km before surging ahead.

Mailula has been enjoying a great 2024 which included taking the gold medal at the FISU World University Cross Country Championships. Photo Credit: MWMedia.

"I'm feeling so happy because I handled the heat and the course. I also don't know how I managed, but my only plan was to finish the race. I didn't plan to win. I didn't plan anything more than that. My only plan was to finish the race because I heard a lot of stories that people faint and don't finish the race because of the heat, so my first goal was to finish the race. That motivated me to be strong and finish the race."

In the men's race the Nedbank Running Club's Lucky Mohale mastered the scorching conditions once again as he claimed a third Foskor 21km title in 1:04:29. Originally from GaMotjatji in Limpopo, the man who now resides in Thembisa made his first move on an incline just before 9km mark where he took 2016 Olympian Sibusiso Nzima with him. The two broke away enjoying a sizeable lead, only to be caught by SA 10km Record holder Precious Mashele and KZNA 5km Champion Sibusiso Kubheka at the 14km mark.

39-year-old former SA 10km and SA 21km champion Lucky Mohale showed that he has still got it. He defeated a quality field to claim a third Foskor Half Marathon title. Photo Credit: MWMedia.

Those four men were now well clear of a talented lead bunch which included Olympian Desmond Mokgobu, Lesotho's 10km national record holder Namakoe Nkhasi and Bennet Seloyi who was the first SA man home at the World Cross Country Championships in March. Kubheka was soon dropped as Mohale and Mashele tried to break one another. With 2km to go the two moved away from Nzima as Mohale applied the telling surge inside the last kilometre and a fading Mashele (1:04:50) was passed by Nzima (1:04:40) and then Kubheka (1:04:43) in the finishing straight.

"I'm very happy to win this race because this year my aim has been to build a house in my village in Bolobedu, so I've been running to win so that I can earn money to complete the construction. I didn't struggle because I live and train on top of a mountain where it's hot and windy, so I didn't struggle with the conditions. I think even my coach (Johannes Kekana) is happy where he is," said the man who has now won the race in 2012, 2013 and 2024.

For their efforts, Mohale and Mailula took home R50 000 with R25 000 for the runner-up, R18 000 for third place, R15 000 for fourth and R10 000 for fifth.