After a strenuous Two Oceans Marathon which saw Hollywood Athletics Club elite athlete Stephen Mokoka succumb to cramps but still walk it in to finish, many were surprised to see his blistering performance at the recent Absa RYCS 10km Cape Town event where, donning a 40-age category tag on his purple vest, Mokoka made the podium against a world class international field.
“What I can say is that age is nothing but a number,” says Mokoka of his new age category. “It is how you plan, how you recover but also all the small little things in between that can give you a long career where age is nothing but a number on your passport.”
With a 28:06 third-place finish, a time only 17 seconds slower than Bernard Lagat’s 40+ 10km world record, Mokoka stunned many, including himself, so soon after a grueling ultra marathon. “After Two Oceans I just took six days of easy running in the morning and afternoon. My actual goal was to run a little bit faster than I did last year at the Absa RYCS Cape Town 10km.” In 2024 Mokoka clocked 29:19 for a 14th place finish, a time that was also shortly after Two Oceans.
A speedwork session of 2 x 5km which was comfortably run in 14:30 each, indicated to Mokoka that potentially a time just under 29:00 was possible but on the day, Mokoka went for it and felt good. Halfway came and went in 14:09 and comprised a group of 20 plus athletes, including the likes of Kabelo Mulaudzi, Elroy Gelant, Joseph Seutloali, Mokoka and Thabang Mosiako. By the time the athletes hit 8km there were just 3 left in contention and Mokoka was one of them. “I was very comfortable with the halfway split, and I knew I could come back with the same time but the 27min was not on my mind as I knew I hadn’t trained for it,” recalls Mokoka.
Now for the rest of the year, Mokoka says he intends to focus on the 10km distance, looking for something special at the Absa RYCS Durban 10km as well as the Hollywoodbets Durban 10km. “I am going to focus on a lot of speed now and then straight to a marathon towards the end of the year.”
When asking what advice he can give to his fellow Hollywood teammates, Mokoka says planning is of the utmost importance. “Sit down in the new year and plan what you would like to do and focus on. You can’t say you want to run a very fast 10km if you are training for an ultra-marathon because the two are completely different,” says Mokoka. “You also cannot race the entire year. You need to have a racing period as well as a training period and rest period. Be your own competition and set goals based on your own capabilities.”
Mokoka also has words of encouragement to all Hollywood Athletics Club members taking part in this years Comrades Marathon. “Most importantly, wear your purple colors with pride but remember, it’s a long way, take it easy, pace yourself well and hydrate properly.” If you can follow those tips from one of South Africa’s most decorated athletes, you are almost halfway there to the finish!
