The PWC 10km road race, run in cooler conditions than might have been predicted, but with humidity playing a part, produced a much stronger field, particularly in the men’s race, than last weekend’s Laser 10.
It also introduced an old Border trend of club changes at the turn of a year, one which only reveals itself on the day of a race.
Visiting were two men who, a year ago, left the province to ply their trade out of Durban and Cape Town and remain too good for the current crop of local runners.
The gap has decreased, though.
Cwenga Nose, the now Durban-based athlete, won the first sub-30-minute time in the race, registering an impressive 29:13.
Last year he finished in 30:50.
The course has been adjusted, which may be the catalyst of improved times.
Yanga Malusi, up from Cape Town and previously the fastest man at the PWC with a 30:15 in 2023, finished second in a personal best of 30:05 but would have been disappointed not to have broken the 30-minute barrier.
The first club walkover on display came from the promising and now former Fort Hare runner, Liyema Qabavane, who registered 30:13 in finishing third, while Haven Hills have lost their best runner, Sinethemba Jilingisi, who arrived in EL and joined Boxer but quickly moved over to Haven Hills, where he looked established, though it was not to be.
Both Qabavane and Jilingisi have joined Real Gijimas.
Jilingisi finished fourth in 30:50, bettering his time from 2025 by 91 seconds.
The winner of the Laser 10 last week, Luyolo Ngcongolo of Powered Up Runners, was fifth, one second off the pace, while two regular podium finishers in recent years, Gift Chigomorawa and Malixole Kalideni, filled sixth and seventh. Kalideni told the Daily Dispatch at the finish, “That was a strong field,” and he is not wrong.
The first two 35-39 category runners were Chigomorawa and Stanley Masuku, both of Oxford Striders, while the top veteran 40-49 runners were Bulelani Mgubo of Overtakers and Xolisile Sinkintana of Nedbank in 10th and 11th place overall with times of 34:16 and 34:44, respectively.
In the older masters category 50-59, a younger Siyabulela Madlavana of Nedbank was pushed hard by the evergreen Makaya Masumpa of Easy Equities Born2Run, with just 12 seconds separating them at the finish.
In the 60-69 category the old rivals Mzoli Mpalala of Boxer and Phillip Quvana of Easy Equities Born2Run had an even closer race with just three seconds difference.
Mpalala was relieved at the finish and said, “I only caught Phillip very close to the finish.”
Last week the president of Border Athletics, Sicelo Pongoma, pointed out the difference in the junior fields of males and females, which was 21 to one.
This week it was somewhat better with 23 to 10.
The junior men’s race also produced more intense racing, with Sinothando Goniwe winning in 35:50 from Brac’s Linamandla Kondile, second in 36:33, while Easy Equities Born2Run’s Sam Norris finished third in 37:49.
Last week’s winner, Keanu Ekron of Oxford Striders, was two seconds off this week’s podium.
The girls were led home by overall third-placed Bukho Breakfast of Brac in 44:16, followed by Boxer’s Image Norayase and Uviwe Simon in 48:49 and 50:27, respectively.
The women’s race delivered a second consecutive win for Easy Equities Born2Run’s Caryn Lategan with a time of 38:53, which is 44 seconds faster than 2025, while her teammate, Cindy Nel, was second in 40:39 and 19 seconds faster than last year. Third was Breakfast.
Lategan also comfortably won the 40-49 category, where Chantal Lombard of Oxford Striders was second in 45:41 and independent runner Bridget Robertson was third in 46:24, an impressive 2:17 faster than her previous time.
Elana van Zyl in 46:16 and Effe Mayo of Pumpkins in 48:27 took the 35-39 category, while Linda Goduka of Original Mambas, no stranger to winning, took the 50+ in 52:44 from Caroline Swart and Adele Harraway.
In the 60+ it was Annette Meyer of Gonubie Harriers who won in 54:18 from Alison Langtree of Oxford Striders and in the competitive 70+, it was a clean sweep for EL Pacers with Janette Hanekom, Denise O’Hagen and Helene Nel the first three in.