Veteran runner and Olympian Lebo Phalula won the fifth (5th) annual Fat Cats 10K Race on her first attempt on Sunday, 8 October 2023.
Phalula (39), running in a Boxer Athletics Club vest, finished the 10km race in 36:32 during the event held at the Mall of Africa at Waterfall City in Midrand.
In the men’s race, Lucky Mohale, also running for Boxer, took the honours when he clocked 31:36 to dislodge defending champion Nicholas Seoposengwe, who came third.
Mohale (38) said he was excited about the win because he failed to perform well last year as he fell sick during the race.
“This was a good race and I think the course is challening in the last 2km. I came here for tempo because I’m preparing for Cape Town Marathon that’s taking place next week. I’m looking to beat my personal best time of 02:13 there,” Mohale said.
As for Phalula, she said the race was part of her bigger plans for 2024 as she was looking to do well and qualify for the Olympics to be hled in Paris, France in 2024.
“My mission is to also help my twin sister (Lebogang) qualify for the Olympics as she has never been to Olympics before. It’s our last chance as we are turning 40 next year.
“Despite my age, I must say though that I’m feeling very well this year and I’m hoping nothing disturbs my plans. As they say, age is nothing but a number,” Phalula said.
The race, affectionately known as #theraceforthewholefamily attracted almost 2 000 runners, both professional and social. The runners were participating in 10km and 5km races as well as the family oriented Kitten Miler and Nappy Dash that cater for kids.
Fat Cats Athletic Club Race Director Cindy Nkomo said the club is excited about the success of the race.
“The fact that the 5km entries were sold days before the race is testimony that the running community is trusting us and are confident with the product that we’ve put out there.
“We have also seen the increase in the interest from sponsors who are specifically looking at the kiddies race and post-race activities. We hope that more and more parents will entrust us with their children in future races so we can help mould them from a young age,” Nkomo said. – news@mukurukuru.co.za
Be First to Comment