Leemisa Thuseho
MARATHONER, Jobo Khatoane, is preparing for the Durban City 10 Race and this year’s edition of the Two Oceans Marathon.
The runner will on 10 April battling for honours at the Durban City 10 Race. He will use the race to prepare for this year’s Two Oceans Half Marathon to be held in Cape Town from 16 to 17 April.
For the past three weeks, Khatoane has been training in Pietermaritzburg in preparation for the two races.
Speaking to the Sunday Express this weekend, Khatoane said all preparations were on track as he is hoping for good outings in the races.
“I am currently based in Pietermaritzburg preparing for my next two races here in South Africa,” Khatoane said.
“I moved to South Africa for acclimatisation. At this point in Lesotho, especially in the mountains, it is cold while the temperatures are warmer in South Africa.
“The other reason for which I moved to South Africa is because I wanted to be near my manager so that he could help me train.”
Khatoane said he was looking forward to using the Durban race to improve his speed ahead of the Two Oceans Marathon.
“The Durban race will help me improve my time in preparation for the main race (Two Oceans) the following weekend. This will be my first time competing in the Durban race and I want to mark my debut appearance in style. My targeted time is 29 minutes,” Khatoane said.
In 2019, Khatoane finished second in the Two Oceans Marathon and this year, he is targeting to win the race.
“I finished second in the 2019 edition of the Two Oceans marathon clocking 1:03:30 and this year I will only celebrate if I improve on that time.”
Since the beginning of the current season, Khatoane has performed exceptionally in several races in South Africa. His impressive run so far includes finishing third in the Dis-Chem Pharmacies Half-Marathon in Johannesburg where he clocked 1:07:08.
He also went on to win the 2022 Kearsney Striders Half-Marathon in Pinetown, KwaZulu Natal (KZN) in February. He crossed the finishing line in 1:08:51. That same month, he went on to settle come second in the 2022 Pirates Half-Marathon in Johannesburg clocking 1:08:53.
In January, he finished second in the Pinetown & District Athletics Club (PDAC) 25km race clocking 1:15:40.