The first South African man home at the Soweto Marathon yesterday - Edward Mothibi - has urged local runners to take charge to halt foreign dominance on these shores.
The Impala Platinum Mine athlete flew the SA flag at seventh position in 2:25:33 in the men's main yesterday.
He led three other South Africans who occupied the remaining spots in the top 10 - Johannes Kekana (8th in 2:26:59); Ndlela Siphiwe (9th; 2:27:10) and Jonas Makhele (10th; 2:28:21).
Mothibi claimed that cramps held him back from pushing for a better position in yesterday's race.
"As South Africans, we must start taking charge. Everyone was holding back [yesterday] and we were not supposed to pass the halfway mark in that time [1:10:25]. It should have been around 68 minutes to 69 minutes (1:08-1:09]," Mothibi, a clerk at the Rustenburg mine, said.
"We look on [at] the Ethiopians and the Lesotho guys. We give them comfort [zone] during the race. And once we can start kicking, we are going to fight back.
"I didn't expect this position [seventh] because I had aimed for a time of 2:20. I started getting cramps and I pulled back after the 31km mark. I could have done better."
Mothibi said he realised after the halfway point that he had a shot at the top 10.
He was one of the runners who admitted that the course was tough even though it isn't as challenging as the old route that started and finished at the nearby Nasrec grounds.
"The course was perfect as the first half gives you an opportunity to place yourself but after halfway it's all about mind and the focus."
Mothibi, who turns 32 in three days, has vowed to come back harder next year.
"My wish is to win this marathon."
Even the first SA woman home, Irvette van Zyl who finished third, concurred with Mothibi on the challenging route, and that there has to be a plan to halt the foreign runners' winning streaks.
She also cited better training and a smart mind would make the difference in future.
"I enjoyed the race until the 20km mark," said Van Zyl.
"I wanted to win but I am still happy with the third place; I did well considering that I had little time to prepare. Soweto is one of the toughest courses around. The 38km was so close yet so far but the last 10km was just hills after hills."
Van Zyl was the pre-race favourite although her build-up was clouded by doubts if she had fully recovered from the stress fracture that forced her to withdraw from the Olympic Marathon in Rio in August.
Crowned the Spar Women's 10km Challenge champion last month, Van Zyl made up for her disappointing experience in the Soweto Marathon five years ago.
"I fell at the start and I used a taxi to the finish," she said tongue-in-cheek.
For her effort yesterday, Van Zyl bagged R90000 for finishing third, while Mothibi banked R15000 for his seventh position.
Mothibi and van Zyl urge locals to up their game
The first South African man home at the Soweto Marathon yesterday - Edward Mothibi - has urged local runners to take charge to halt foreign dominance on these shores.
The Impala Platinum Mine athlete flew the SA flag at seventh position in 2:25:33 in the men's main yesterday.
He led three other South Africans who occupied the remaining spots in the top 10 - Johannes Kekana (8th in 2:26:59); Ndlela Siphiwe (9th; 2:27:10) and Jonas Makhele (10th; 2:28:21).
Mothibi claimed that cramps held him back from pushing for a better position in yesterday's race.
"As South Africans, we must start taking charge. Everyone was holding back [yesterday] and we were not supposed to pass the halfway mark in that time [1:10:25]. It should have been around 68 minutes to 69 minutes (1:08-1:09]," Mothibi, a clerk at the Rustenburg mine, said.
"We look on [at] the Ethiopians and the Lesotho guys. We give them comfort [zone] during the race. And once we can start kicking, we are going to fight back.
"I didn't expect this position [seventh] because I had aimed for a time of 2:20. I started getting cramps and I pulled back after the 31km mark. I could have done better."
Mothibi said he realised after the halfway point that he had a shot at the top 10.
He was one of the runners who admitted that the course was tough even though it isn't as challenging as the old route that started and finished at the nearby Nasrec grounds.
"The course was perfect as the first half gives you an opportunity to place yourself but after halfway it's all about mind and the focus."
Mothibi, who turns 32 in three days, has vowed to come back harder next year.
"My wish is to win this marathon."
Even the first SA woman home, Irvette van Zyl who finished third, concurred with Mothibi on the challenging route, and that there has to be a plan to halt the foreign runners' winning streaks.
She also cited better training and a smart mind would make the difference in future.
"I enjoyed the race until the 20km mark," said Van Zyl.
"I wanted to win but I am still happy with the third place; I did well considering that I had little time to prepare. Soweto is one of the toughest courses around. The 38km was so close yet so far but the last 10km was just hills after hills."
Van Zyl was the pre-race favourite although her build-up was clouded by doubts if she had fully recovered from the stress fracture that forced her to withdraw from the Olympic Marathon in Rio in August.
Crowned the Spar Women's 10km Challenge champion last month, Van Zyl made up for her disappointing experience in the Soweto Marathon five years ago.
"I fell at the start and I used a taxi to the finish," she said tongue-in-cheek.
For her effort yesterday, Van Zyl bagged R90000 for finishing third, while Mothibi banked R15000 for his seventh position.
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