Hollywood Athletics Club Elite Purple Star Reghen Magwai finally added the title that evaded him after he not only took a scintillating victory at the Durban International Marathon on Sunday but was also crowned the South African Champion in a race that incorporated the ASA National Marathon Championship.
Run on a crisp morning with no wind at all, Magwai bided his time in a big pack which also included Hollywood teammate Thabang Mathebula. After a big surge was made after the halfway mark and the big pack now broken up, Magwai ran a tactically clever race, running in 2nd and waiting for a time to strike. It was at the 40km mark that Magwai went into the lead with a powerful surge that proved to be the winning move.
With a smile on his face and pump of the fist into the air, Magwai crossed the line in a new personal best time of 2:11:20 to clinch the gold, after previous finishes of 2nd and 3rd. It was a result that not only showed that hard work pays off, but that belief overcomes everything after Magwai had struggled in the past two years of his career and made a bold step of making changes.
“I am so happy with this result today because I knew that I had it in me although I have been struggling to show it,” said Magwai afterwards. Leaving his longtime coach to go to the training group of Violet and Caster Semenya was one of the changes that paid dividends. “Through their motivation they really made me believe in myself more and with their support and also the support of Hollywood who have stuck by me, this victory is not just for me but them as well.”
Behind him, Mathebula ran the race of his life to finish 4th, crossing the line proudly in his Hollywood Purple vest, the man who lives in Pietermaritzburg ran a lifetime best of 2:13:52. For a man who only 4 years ago boasted a pb of 2:57 in the marathon, like Magwai, proved that belief and hard work can take you to the top. Under the guidance of his coach Wade Foster, Mathebula improved to a 2:28 in 2023, then 2:19 in 2024, 2:17 last year at the Durban City Marathon and now 2:13. In his first year running in the Purple of Hollywood, Mathebula is someone to watch as he continues to climb his way through the ranks.
Hollywood Athletics Club Elite team manager Manfred Seidler was chuffed with the results from the pair. “I know just how hard Reghen has struggled over the last 2 years but always knew that he had what it takes and today he proved that right and I couldn’t be any happier for him. Thabang ran the race of his life and it’s really exciting to see just how much more he improves because I feel that he also has so much potential and it’s exciting to have such a prospect in our team.”
Hollywood Athletics Club Elite Purple Star Reghen Magwai finally added the title that evaded him after he not only took a scintillating victory at the Durban International Marathon on Sunday but was also crowned the South African Champion in a race that incorporated the ASA National Marathon Championship.
Tayla Kavanagh delivered a defining statement of dominance at the ASA Senior Track and Field Championships, completing a sensational double victory in the 5 000m and 10 000m, an achievement that perfectly reflects the high-performance language of Hollywood Athletics Club and its Elite Purple Stars.
