The Khayelitsha Athletics Club (KAC) inaugurated its 21 km Khayelitsha Marathon at Mandela Park on Saturday 10 September.
The race saw 500 runners competing against one another in wonderful weather through the streets of the area.
Sibusiso Madikizela won in the male category while Philiswa Dalane won the women’s race.
Race organiser Siphiwo Klaas said the turnout was “good”, but not as “great” as expected. He said 1 000 runners were expected, but this will be the ultimate target for next year’s race.
“This 21 km race was always an idea of the Khayelitsha Athletics Club’s, where we wanted to host a bigger race for a long distance. We wanted to showcase running to local people and cover the depth of the area.”
Klaas said the club had hosted a 10 km race before, but this was not as “impactful”. While the 10 km race covered bigger streets, this 21 km one was closer to people’s homes.
He said the race had been initially planned for Saturday 4 September, but was changed after suspected threats to traffic officers.
Madikizela described the race as part of his preparation for the Cape Town Marathon on Sunday 16 October. “I came to the race well prepared as I had been practising for at least five months. The race was well organised and people came out in numbers to show support.”
He believes the race was advantageous for him as he trained in Khayelitsha daily.
Madikizela said he was happy to make the people of Khayelitsha proud by winning.