'I'm going to give it my all this year' - Melikhaya Frans opens season with victory at First Choice 15km
Marathon man Melikhaya Frans opened his 2025 account with a 47:07 victory at the First Choice 15km race held at the Victory Christian School in Jeffrey's Bay on Saturday. Frans had no competition as the second runner home, Victor Chigomarawa (49:46) crossed the finish line more than two minutes after he had breasted the tape, while Andile Motwana took the last podium position clocking 50 minutes on the dot.
Frans' win in hot conditions underlined his dominance in the event which he has now won a record nine times in a row since his first triumph in 2016, with only the 2021 missing from his collection after the race was not organised due to Covid 19 restrictions. The 34-year-old who trains under the watchful eye of Coach Mike Mbambani says he was delighted to start the year on high note.
"I'm very happy to win my first race of the year. It has become a norm that I start the year by winning this race. I don't think there is someone who has won this race like I have. Every year, I come to stamp my record and it's a good thing. It was not an easy race though as it was hot and windy. It also has a hilly section. In the end, it gives me joy to start well as I'm trying to see what lies ahead. This race was part of my training as I didn't get enough during December. So it's going to assist me to determine where I'm at in terms of the shape going forward," he told #TheTopRunner.
Reflecting on last season, the man who represented South Africa at the 2018 World Half Marathon Championships in Spain admitted that although he had a slow start to the year, he was happier with the second half of 2024. A spirited performance at the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon in October where he clocked an impressive 2:12:18 to take fifth position was followed by a 2:20:06 come-from-behind victory on home soil at the 1 Capital Marathon in Gqeberha to close the year in winning style.
"Last year, there was a time when things didn't go my way. I started to question my abilities. But after I ran well in Cape Town and managed to finish inside the top five, everything changed. Plus I was the first South African home at that race. That alone meant a lot to me. So I ended using that performance to build going forward," said Frans, who is the holder of a 2:09:24 personal best run at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
Asked about his targets for the 2025 season, the Ikhamva Athletics Club top runner is keeping his goals close to his chest saying only that he is in great shape to run even faster. "At the moment, we haven't planned so much with the coach on how we are going to approach the year. One thing I know, I haven't fully recovered as yet to do a marathon soon. So the SA Marathon Championships (scheduled for February in Cape Town) are not something I'm thinking of at the moment. What I know is that I'm in the shape I was in around 2020 and 2021. I won't promise fast times but I'm going to give it my all on the road this year."
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