"I told myself I’m going with them until the last km"- Lesetja Papo reflects on a maiden top 10 Soweto Marathon finish
If anything was going to prevent Lesetja Papo from achieving his goal during the africanbank Soweto Marathon on Sunday, 3 November, it wasn't going to be the hard slog up the hill on Vilakazi Street known for being a runner's nightmare. Despite already being in pain when he reached that point, Papo was so determined to summit the hill that dashed his hopes of a top ten finish last year, he decided to use the historical landmarks packed into that stretch of road as motivation that carry him to the finish line.
It worked. After losing touch with the bunch and fading to 11th position last year, the Maxed Elite top runner hung on this time around and ended up finishing in an improved 2:19:22 to claim an impressive fourth place behind winner Onalenna Khonkhobe (2:18:36), runner-up Joseph Khoarahlane Seutloali (2:18:52) of Lesotho and Kenya's Kipsang Kipkemoi (2:19:05) who rounded out the podium.
"The challenge was in Vilakazi Street. I almost quit because of that hill. In my hood, there are no hills like the ones in Soweto and I also felt the hot weather. I'm very happy with my performance because it's an improvement. Last year, I was behind the leading pack and finished in 2:24:39 for 11th position. This year, I told myself that I'm going with them to the last kilometre," he told #TheTopRunner.
Hailing from the Ekurhuleni township of Tsakane outside Brakpan, Papo trains mostly on the flat and gently undulating routes typical of the Eastern Highveld. It means that where he had to fight hard on the uphill sections of the notoriously tough Soweto Marathon, the flat sections of the race assisted him to make up ground and find a comfortable rhythm. Boasting a standard marathon PB of 2:12:24 achieved at sea level during the Durban International Marathon in April where he finished sixth, Papo knew after 33km that he was in a good position to secure a maiden top ten finish at The People's Race.
"When I took the lead after 33km, I saw that I had secured a top 10 position so I had to make sure I maintained that position no matter what," explained the man who is coached by Lesego Mabiletsa.
With his 2023 africanbank Soweto Marathon ghosts now a thing of the past, the 30-year-old will take a break after a successful season that also includes top ten placings at the Waterfall City and Dis-Chem Half Marathons. "I'm done for the year. The plan is to do better than this in 2025. Next year, I’m aiming for podium places in the top races."
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