The Hollywood Athletics Club will field a strong team for the Hollywoodbets Durban 10km race, scheduled for August 30 at Hollywoodbets Kingsmead Stadium.
As the race enters its fifth edition, top athletes from across the country will gather to compete on the fast, flat course. Neheng Khatala will lead the Women’s team in Hollywood colours, aiming for dominance on race day. She is the favourite, having won the event last year with a remarkable time of 32:25. The 33-year-old Lesotho international star is performing exceptionally well this season.
Khatala Out to Defend Her Title
August has been a busy and fruitful month for Khatala. She began the month by participating in the Durban leg of the Totalsports Women’s race on August 3, where she ran a personal best of 31:53, breaking her own Lesotho 10km National Record by eight seconds. Despite this impressive performance, she finished fourth in a highly competitive field. Less than a week later, she followed up with a solid time of 32:48, finishing fifth in the Totalsports Cape Town Women’s Race on Women’s Day. Her third consecutive race was in the challenging Joburg leg of the same series, where she secured the runner-up position in 33:44.
Improving Kavanagh On the Charge
Joining Khatala is Tayla Kavanagh, who has regained her form this year after struggling with injuries over the past two years. Earlier this month, the 24-year-old took 17 seconds off her previous ever 10km time (32:10) to smash her Personal Best and run a scintillating 31:53, to finish fifth in the Totalsports Durban Women’s 10km race. With this achievement, she became the fifth South African woman to run under 32 minutes, following in the footsteps of Glenrose Xaba, Elana Meyer, Colleen De Reuck, and Dominique Scott and is now the fourth fastest ever South African over 10km. Kavanagh also recently secured her third consecutive Spar Pietermaritzburg Women’s 10k title, demonstrating her excellent form. Last year, she finished seventh at the Hollywoodbets Durban 10km with a time of 34:06. Both Khatala and Kavanagh are considered amongst the favourites to take line honours at this year’s event.
Meanwhile, Irvette Van Zyl, who finished fourth overall in her debut at the Comrades Marathon with a time of 06:11:35, is also back to focusing on shorter distances to find her speed as she builds up to the Berlin Marathon 21 August. On August 2, she finished eighth in the Spar Tshwane Women’s 10km Race with a time of 34:41. Last week, she improved her performance, finishing fifth in the Absa Tshwane Run Your City Race with a time of 33:41.
Mokoka, Magwai, Mjwara and Zulu to Fly the Purple Flag in the Men’s Race
On the men’s side, multiple Olympians, including Stephen Mokoka, will lead the team. The 40-year-old Mokoka, who boasts a lifetime best time of 27:38, continues to run impressively as he ages. In May, he recorded a swift 28:06, finishing third in the Absa Run Your City Cape Town race against a competitive field. Mokoka also ran under 29 minutes for the second time, posting a time of 28:37 during the Absa Run Your City Durban 10k, where he placed 13th overall. Last year, he achieved an excellent time of 28:13, finishing in fifth position. Mokoka will be joined by Reghen Magwai, who is competitive in shorter distances, as well as Lindelani Mjwara and Simphiwe Zulu who complete the team.
