Richard Nkosi

Richard Nkosi

Mpumalanga's budding athlete, Ntuthuko Maseko, is looking forward to stamping his authority on the 2008 Nedbank Matha Series in Nelspruit.

The series is set for KaNyamazane Stadium near Nelspruit on Saturday, with the 21,1km starting at 7am and the 5km fun run 30 minutes later.

"I'm going there to take it easy, but the prize money is encouraging," he said.

Maseko, 26, of Nedbank Marathon Club, said his aim was to finish in the top 10 and get one of the prizes on offer.

"I have been training hard for the past two weeks preparing for this race. The time has finally come to show off my hard work."

Maseko, along with Samuel Makamo of Nelspruit Marathon Club, are dominating races locally but fade when they take part nationally.

With the series staged in their accustomed environment, they are expected to put up a fight against their opponents.

Some of the top runners expected include Josiah Thugwane, Sipho Ngomane (both Mr Price), Samuel Makamo, George Mofokeng and Bennet Moeng (Transwerk).

Bookie Gama, Mpumalanga road running commission convener, said: "Registration for the series has been extended to the race day. We urge people to register."

Athletics South Africa has put aside R202000 as prize money with R20000 going to the winners of the men's and women's sections.

The series will be televised live by SABC 2.