Mfunzi claims Bay Ultra Marathon title

Port Elizabeth runner Ntombesintu Mfunzi ticked another box on her Two Oceans preparation list by claiming victory at the Bay Ultra Marathon on Saturday morning.

The event, powered by Amobia, saw over 1350 runners of all ages and skill take to the start line, across the three distances which included the Ultra distance 50km, the 21.1km half marathon and the 5km family road run.

Nedbank Running Club's Mfunzi ran a simple race to cross the line in a time of three hrs, 58 mins and 29 secs. Mfunzi was followed home by birthday girl Thifhelimbilu Mudau, who finished second in 4.16:33 and Juanita Claassen, 4.22:31, in third.

In the men's race, Cape Town's Ben Matiso, running for Murray And Roberts Running Club, made it two wins in three years as he claimed the male Ultra distance title with a time of 2.54:24.

Taking second was 43 year old Ikhamva Athletic Club's Mzwanele Maphekula in second with a time of 3.01:29 and Nedbank' s Lucas Nonyana finishing third in 3.04:12.

Mfunzi said she was happy to have taken the crown and kept her on track in her preparations for her main goal, the Two Oceans Marathon.

"It was a good race. I'm happy that I was able to take the win, because it shows that I am on track with my goals for Two Oceans, there are still some areas to improve, so we will work on that over the next few weeks," she said.

Matiso said the PE crowd played their part in motivating athletes along the run course.

"The crowds in PE are always amazing. I have been racing here for a number of years, and this is one of the reasons I keep coming back, as athletes we draw so much energy from their cheers," he said