By Leemisa Thuseho
LESOTHO’S fast-rising marathoner, Kamohelo Mofolo, will line up for the TCS New York City Marathon in the United States on Sunday.
The New York City Marathon is one of the biggest and most prestigious races in the world.
The point-to-point race starts at the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge in Staten Island and finishes in Central Park, taking runners through all five boroughs of New York and across five bridges, with long stretches through Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Manhattan.
For Mofolo, this will be his first major international marathon and only his second race over the 42.2km distance.
The runner, who turns 21 today, made his marathon debut at the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon in May this year, producing an impressive performance to finish 11th in a time of 2:08:50.
Mofolo also recently represented Lesotho at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, held from 23 July to 2 August, competing in the 5000m and 10,000m events.
He delivered a record-breaking performance in the 10,000m, clocking a personal best of 28:01.00 to finish ninth and shatter Namakoe Nkhasi’s national record of 28:06.33.
He also finished 13th in the 5000m in another personal best of 13:34.02. It was his first appearance at a multi-sport international Games representing Lesotho.
Now preparing for his New York City Marathon debut, Mofolo is already in the United States, having arrived on 24 October.
He told the Sunday Express on Friday that his preparations had gone well and he was ready for the race.
“I arrived here last week and I think I am ready,” Mofolo said.
The young runner is hoping to make a strong impression, targeting at least a top-five finish in a race expected to attract a formidable international field.
“This is a tough race. It is not necessarily a fast course, but we will not know how things will unfold this year,” Mofolo said earlier.
He said his preparations had put him in a good position to mount a strong challenge.
Mofolo is trained by American coach, James McKirdy, who he says has worked hard to prepare him for the prestigious race.
“My coach has helped me prepare to deal with whatever challenges I may encounter during the race. This is one of the biggest marathons in the world, and if I can finish in the top 10, or even break into the top five, that would be a huge achievement for me and my coach.
“If the win comes, it will be a bonus. But we all know that every runner goes into a race hoping to win.”
Mofolo believes his experience at the Commonwealth Games has also played an important role in his preparations, particularly in sharpening his speed through competing in track events.
“The Commonwealth Games helped me a lot, especially in terms of developing my speed. One of the biggest lessons I took from the Commonwealth Games is that I have developed the confidence to make decisions during a race without fear,” he said.
Mofolo has vowed to give his best as he takes on some of the world's leading marathoners in New York.
“I promise the nation that I will give my best and deliver a good performance,” he told the Sunday Express.