'There's some light' - Karabo More reflects on excellent 2024 & looks ahead to Boxer Super Run Tshwane 5km
In a year when Glenrose Xaba, Gerda Steyn and Cian Oldknow dominated the headlines in women’s distance running, one name has started to command more and more attention as a promising prospect. 22-year-old Karabo More announced herself to the athletics-loving public when she claimed the national 4km cross country title in September and then followed that up with victory at the Boxer Super Run 5km in Durban a month later.
"The Boxer race was a good one. I didn’t expect to win because I had the big girls there. It was all about working together and staying in the pack because the last 2km or 3km is the most important part of the race. That’s where you have to kick and see her it takes you."
Defeating the likes of Cacisile Sosibo, Tayla Kavanagh and Steyn to win the fast and flat 5km race run along Snell Parade, More showed that she belongs at the highest level of the sport which she almost quit. After claiming a top ten finish during the Johannesburg leg of the 2023 Totalsports Women’s Race, much was expected of the youngster from Orlando, Soweto. Instead personal frustrations caused her to hang up her running shoes and she only started running again this year after Violet Semenya convinced her to try again and join the Caster and Violet Semenya running group.
"I came this side (Pretoria) on 1st of May. My coach Violet Semenya told me to just give it a try again and see where it takes us. I had actually given up running because I couldn't agree on what my best distance is with my former coach. So now I’m focussing on 10km races. There’s some light."
"I think it's all about training and the motivation and support I get from my coaches," she told #TheTopRunner after claiming yet another podium finish at the Thembisa Mile 10km at the end of October. More clocked 35:02 to finish as the runner-up to her training partner Karabo Mailula, as her other training partner Karabo Motsoeneng took third in 35:55.
Now running for the Boxer Athletic Club, all eyes will be on More when she lines up at the Tshwane leg of the Boxer Super Run on Sunday (10 November). Although she admits that it's not as easy as it was before because her opponents are now wary of her abilities, she wouldn’t have it any other way. "You’re right. It’s not the same. It's more interesting now because people are asking themselves how she is going to run. So you just have to surprise them, while putting in more effort and working hard."
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