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Noel Munzabwa in Manzini, Eswatini
VETERAN Tabitha Tsatsa bagged her third consecutive Imbube Marathon in Eswatini yesterday morning.

The 46-year-old athlete shaved off close to four minutes of her 2017 time to romp to victory in 3 hours, four minutes and 32 seconds to receive a royal handshake from King Mswati III, a trophy, gold medal and R25 000.

Tsatsa’s nearest challenger and Nedbank Athletics Club teammate Winile Mnisi finished second in a time of 3 hours, nine minutes and 20 seconds.

“It was a tough course and the runners never allowed me to lead in the first third of the race, but I had to capitalise on the uphill to win the race. My only challenge at that stage was Winile. Endurance won it for me,” said Tsatsa.

“For any marathon runner, this course has always been a difficult one which probably explains why there were fewer marathon runners from other countries and even those that participated acknowledged the challenges,” she said.

For the better part of the race, a number of runners had set off in a closely contested bus, which literally never gave the Zimbabwean any space, but as expected, the notorious Malagwane uphill reduced the challengers, allowing Tsatsa and Mnisi to peel off into the lead.

Even on the return Malagwane downhill, it was evident that only one of the two would win the race, and Tsatsa’s experience and endurance saw her through.

The victorious Zimbabwean had little time to celebrate as she headed back to her South African base.

The men’s race was won by South African Siphamandla Nyembe, who clocked 2 hours 29 minutes and 36 seconds. — @NoelMunzabwa