JOHANNESBURG – Fresh from retaining his title as South Africa’s 10km champion, Precious Mashele has his sights set on clocking a personal best at the FNB Durban 10k CITYSURFRUN next weekend.
“It would be great to run sub 28 (minutes) in Durban. That would be my PB and I believe it is possible,” says the Boxer Athletic Club’s short distance star who currently boasts a 28:32 PB in the 10km.
Given his stellar showing at the ASA 10km Championships at the weekend, it will not be surprising to see Mashele dip under 28 minutes at the fast Durban race.
The man coached by the legendary Hendrick Ramaala smashed the course record in Middleburg, Mpumalanga on Saturday where he ran a 29.20 to retain the title he won last year.
“I had a very good run. The course was the same as last year except for the start and I really felt good from the onset. Thabang Mosiako set the pace and I kept up with him.
“He gave me a good challenge but in the end I prevailed.”
Earlier this year he had a fantastic run at the World Cross Country Championships where he finished in 16th position.
“That run gave me a lot of confidence and since then I have gone into each race believing I can win.”
And there can be no denying the man from Limpopo will respect his chosen profession. After all he is a breadwinner following his mother’s recent death.
“I have a lot of reasons to do well in my races. One of those is the fact that I have siblings that I must take care of. My little sisters want Christmas clothes and they can only get them from me.”
After the Durban race, Mashele has a half marathon race in Europe towards the end of the year.
“I am going to run a 21km in France in November and my goal there is to try and run a sub 61 minutes. I had a good run at the national championships where I finished third behind Stephen (Mokoka) and Elroy (Gelant). That has given me great confidence.
Also I have a great coach and teammates who are always encouraging me, they have made me to believe in myself even more.”
Racing overseas, he says, is a great way to improve.
“The standard out there is a little higher so when I come back home I find I do even better.”