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Pule Sibeko and Loveness Madziva had to overcome tough conditions, including rain and strong winds, to win the Nelson Mandela Bay Runified City 50km race in Gqeberha on Sunday.
In the men's race, Sibeko dug deep in the closing stages to chase down long-time leader Guillaume Ruel of France.
While Ruel still held a significant lead with 10km to go, Sibeko managed to reel him in with less than five kilometres remaining, breaking clear to win the race in 2:47:09.
"I managed to pace myself very well in the first kilometres with my training partners and teammates. We came from behind and then kicked forward," Sibeko said.
"I was feeling very well near the end and the wind was pushing us from behind, so I just took my chance," he said in a post-race statement.
Meanwhile, the 33-year-old Madziva of Zimbabwe dominated the women’s event from the start, “coasting to a convincing victory in 3:22:49”.
The 33-year-old Zimbabwean dominated from start to finish, finishing nearly 10 minutes ahead of her nearest opponent.
"The race was fine and the route was perfect. It was only the weather that was troubling us and I tried my best to finish," said Madziva, who finished nearly 10 minutes ahead of her nearest opponent.
Race director, Michael Mbambani, was overjoyed with the turnout, congratulating the athletes who participated.
“The turnout exceeded our expectations, with over 1000 athletes, an incident-free race, lots of PBs, and a European record!
“Together with our partners, the Nelson Bay Municipality, EPA changed this event from elite only to mass, with no regrets, we pulled out all the stops and our LOC worked exceptionally well together,” he said.
