Mokoka advises young runners not to overdo it

Veteran runner Stephen Mokoka says young and upcoming athletes must not race too often if they want to have long athletic careers.

The 40-year-old continues to hold his own against younger athletes. As he prepares for the Hollywoodbets 10km race that starts at 7.30am in Durban on Saturday, Mokoka said what keeps him going is that he doesn’t run too many races, but focuses on training.

“If you are going to damage your body and race week in and week out just because you are fit, there is no way you will finish athletics,” he said at the pre-race press conference on Thursday.

“For me to run four 10km races a year, I’m OK. Two marathons, I’m fine, but I’m going to train 365 days a year. So, I’m saying to them [young athletes], if you want to run for a long period, don’t over race. You can’t be racing every week.”

If you are going to damage your body and race week in and week out just because you are fit, there is no way you will finish athletics

—  Stephen Mokoka, veteran runner

Mokoka will use the Durban race to continue to prepare for the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon in October.

“With heavy legs, I’m planning to run the season’s best. I’ve got 28:06. If I can do it faster than that, I will be happy.”

Mokoka will go up against Kabelo Mulaudzi, who won the Absa Run Your City series three times in succession this year, after clinching the Tshwane leg on Sunday. He will also face Thabang Mosiako, who claimed victory at the Foskor half-marathon in Phalaborwa recently.

The women’s race will see in-form Glenrose Xaba coming up against last year’s defending champion Neheng Khatala from Lesotho, Kenya international and reigning Hollywoodbets 10km Joburg champion Fridah Ndinda and Tayla Kavanagh, one of the rising young stars of South African distance running.

The race boasts the richest prize purse for a 10km race in SA, with R37,500 for the men’s and women’s winners, as well as a R50,000 bonus for breaking the national record.  

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