South Africaās Stephen Mokoka stepped up to 50km in style on Sunday (6), running 2:40:13* to break the menās world record for the distance at the Nedbank #Runified 50km ā aĀ World Athletics Elite LabelĀ road race ā in Gqeberha.
The three-time Olympian has been running marathons for more than a decade but made history in his very first 50km race, following the pacemaker through half way in 1:21:02 and then breaking away after 30km with a 2:56 kilometre to put himself on world record schedule. He held that pace on the 10km loop course and solo ran his way to the finish line to win by almost four minutes and improve the inaugural world 50km record of 2:42:07 that had been set by Ethiopiaās Ketema Negasa at the same event last year.
āIām tired,ā Mokoka said with a smile in his post-race interview. āItās a long way and I donāt know how Iām going to feel later, but I enjoyed it.ā
Given the increasing popularity of 50km road races, the decision to add the distance to the list of events for which world records are recognised was made at the 225th World Athletics Council meeting in Tokyo in July. Negasaās 2:42:07 was then ratified as the inaugural menās world 50km record at the start of this year, while the 3:04:24 run by South Africaās Irvette van Zyl in the same 2021 event was ratified as the world 50km record for a women-only race.
That time had been the target for athletes in Sundayās Nedbank #Runified 50km butĀ while it remained out of reach, Ethiopiaās Amelework Fikadu Bosho claimed a dominant womenās race win with her 3:04:58 performance.
Kenyaās Shelmith Muriuki was second in 3:08:30, while Van Zyl was third in 3:13:23. In the menās race, Tete Dijana was runner-up to Mokoka, clocking 2:44:08, with their compatriot Edward Mothibi third in 2:45:27.
*Subject to the usual ratification procedure
WORLD ATHETICS
