The Buffalo City Half Marathon, which doubled as the Border Athletics Championships, was run on Workers’ Day and offered competitors various challenges to return times in a quest to qualify for the SA Championships, in conjunction with the Nelson Mandela Bay Half Marathon in June.
With the marathon being considered one of the fastest in the province, there were many who chose to chase a time in that event.
The winner of the men’s race, Luyolo Ngcongolo, for instance, ran 67:18 to the halfway mark, which would be good enough to qualify.
He holds the half marathon record of 63:20, however.
More impressive, on Friday, was Ngcongolo’s marathon time of 2:16:59, a personal best for the highly motivated Purac runner and only 15 seconds off the course record.
The half marathon was won by Komani Runners’ Nkululeko Lekoehla in 67:23, and he was followed by runners from age categories at different ends of the spectrum.
Second overall was Andile Ngqwangi of Real Gijimas, who was also the first 40+ veteran in 67:42, while the third male across the finish third was Border’s current top junior runner, Endinako Mpondo of Brac, in 70:47.
Previous half marathon winning times have been 63:55 in 2023, 64:15 in 2024 and 63:20 in 2025.
The women’s half marathon was won for a second time by Hanlie Botha of Easy Equities Born2Run.
She clocked 78:37 against the record, which she holds of 75:37.
In second place was Caryn Lategan, also in the colours of Born2Run, who fought back from an injury that was still being treated in the build-up to the race, finishing in 84:23.
A previous marathon winner, Lategan also has a personal best for the half marathon of 81:28.
Easy Equities Born2Run delivered positions first to third in the women’s race as well as the 40-49 year age group when Andrea Ranger made a late decision to run the half marathon just five days after winning the Freedom 21.1km the previous weekend.
They don’t come much tougher than she does. She won the far tougher OMAC-organised race in 96:28 and took this one in 90:57, an indication of the effort she put in.
In the older age groups, Carol Tinhoff of Old Selbornians won the 50+ in 1:47:24 from Shenaaz Moodley of Oxford Striders and Lyn Easom of Born2Run, while in the 60+ category Alison Langtree of Oxford Striders won with Wendy Schroeder of Old Selbornians second and Soraya Abdurahman of Born2Run third.
The junior race fell to Uviwe Simon of Boxer in 92:25, with Bukho Breakfast of Brac second and Ruth Saxton of Born2Run third.
In the men’s 40+ race, Xolile Ndabeni followed Ngqwangi home in 73:41 with Simphiwe Majiki next in 75:55.
Clinton Haywood of Old Selbornians had a second successive win in the 50+ men’s race, finishing in 88:36.
The runner-up was Khulekani Mlambo of BCM in 89:17 and third was Fezile Myatasa of Khulani.
A great head-to-head race took place in the men’s grandmasters 60+ where Makaya Masumpa of Easy Equities Born2Run dethroned Mzoli Mpalala of Hollywood AC, winning in 83:44, 24 seconds ahead of his new rival, with Tony Dubber third.
Two juniors who finished behind Mpondo and joined him on the podium were Lizole Vara of Real Gigimas and Luthando Tyinkana of Nedbank.
It was a busy day on the roads and one of much interest to serious followers of the sport. — Daily Dispatch
