Alberton athletes dominate road races
This year’s road-running calendar got underway with the Dis-Chem half-marathon which followed the annual Alberton half-marathon event.
ALBERTON – Athletes from clubs surrounding Alberton dominated the brilliant Alberton half-marathon, 10 km and 4 km races, superbly organised by the Alberton Athletics club race convener Michael-Brandon Kirby, Chairman Andries Venter and their team.
The first finish was in the 4 km fun run where veteran Never Mathiye of Bedfordview AC outrun the field of fifty entrants to romp home first.
The highlight of the day was when stalwart Clinton Swanepoel in UJ colours conquered the entire field to sprint over the finishing line in a brilliant 31 min 5 seconds, to beat the runner-up Thabo Motaung from Scaw (31:30) by 25 seconds.
Another home-grown Alberton boy Dylan van der Merwe in Marais Viljoen club colours emerged as top junior in 33:04 and Tony Silva from Bedfordview the top veteran in 36:14. Clinton’s UJ team mate Michelle Strydom won the 10 km women’s race in 38:08 and Comrades women’s record holder Frith van der Merwe took the women’s masters prize in 46:20.
Another Scaw AC athlete Ratsepile Khatle was crowned the 21 km champion, with Francois Myburgh from Nedbank AC the women’s half-marathon winner in 1:42:01. Alberton Amateur Athletics Club would like to thank the sponsors, Rawson, Menges, Mawer and Delport, Paul James and Spear Labels, who have made the event possible.
