'I've changed distances from short to long' - Kabelo Melamu on joining Nedbank
Merely two days after switching from Boxer AC to the Nedbank Running Club, Kabelo Melamu won the Johnson Crane Hire Marathon men's 21.1km title in his first race in the green of Nedbank on January 26. Melamu signed for Nedbank on Friday (January 24) and a week after placing second at the Central Gauteng Athletics marathon trials in Nasrec, the 27-year old held-off his Nedbank teammate Lucky Mohale who was gunning for a seventh Johnson Crane Half Marathon title, in the finishing straight to win in a time of 1:07:14 to Mohale's 1:07:27.
"I'm preparing for the SA Marathon Championships in Cape Town next month. Last week we ran the 30km CGA marathon trials. Because the course was tough, we couldn't really gauge our fitness well. So, the coach told us to come and run a 3:10 min/km half-marathon and see how it goes. It's the pace I'm targeting for the marathon champs. Everything went well and I'm ready to compete in Cape Town," he told #TheTopRunner.
The man who represented South Africa at the 2016 World U20 Championships over 10 000m explains that his move to Nedbank was influenced by his recent decision to switch from the shorter distances on the road to the marathon and in the long-term, ultras.
"I got a much better offer this side. I've changed distances from short to long and Boxer focuses on the shorter distances," explained the man who has run a total of five marathons, with a 2:17:02 PB achieved at the 2021 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon.
While it's still early to tell how he will fare now that he's focusing more on the longer distances, Melamu is already seeing some progress as he tinkers with his training plan ahead of the Balwin Sport Peninsula Marathon which incorporates the Athletics South Africa Marathon Championships on 16 February.
"My main aim at the SA marathon champs is to improve on my time. I would be happy with a 2:13 at the champs. Afterwards, I will take a break and then starting preparing for the Durban International Marathon in May where I plan to run a faster time."
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