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For long has he been one of the favourite son's
of his township Langa in Cape Town, South Africa. Here was a man
committed to his sport as well as loyal to those who have supported
him throughout his running career. He has been with the same coach
since those distant
days in the early 80's. That coach being Dave
Spence from Pinelands Athletic Club, suburban residential area
alongside that of the Langa township.
From the early years did Makahosonke travel
the short distance to training sessions in Pinelands under the watchful
eye of his coach. As a 15 year old, his talent was noted and the
only concern was that life in the townships might have swallowed
him up. The bond that has grown between coach and athlete is a powerful
one and has weathered many a storm, they have stood fast together
and now get to travel abroad on occasions. Last year, was their
turn to travel to Japan, where "Shonks", as he is fondly
known, finished 6th cementing his name as an international athlete
of promise.
In July 2001, Fika again proved himself, as
an athlete who performs on the day, by finishing 3rd at the South
African Half Marathon Championships in East London. His time was
61min 58 sec, a new Personal Best (PB) as well as a new Western
Province record, thus cementing his legacy as the fastest man, born
in the Cape, from 10km's to the marathon.
| Born: 22nd January 1972 from Langa, Cape Town
South Africa |
| Best performances: |
| Track: |
Road: |
| 3000: |
7:55:59 |
1995 |
10km |
28:27 |
1998 |
| 5000: |
13:32:36 |
1996 |
15km |
43:34 |
1998 |
| 10000: |
28:30:09 |
1998 |
21.1km |
61:58 |
2001 |
| |
|
|
marathon |
2:10:39 |
1999 |
| Career Progression |
3000/5000/10000:1995 - 7:55.39/13:35.21; 1996
- 8:18.86/13:32.36/28:46.1;
1997 - 13:48.47; 1998 - 8:22.3/13:44.76/28:30.9;1999 - 13:50.61/28:36.07;
2000 - 28:32.75 |
10/15/21.1 km: 1993 - 29:19/45:51; 1994 - 29:16/45:01/63:44;
1995 - 29:28/45:50/64:10; 1996 - 29:04/44:43/64:53; 1997 - 28:57/44:36/63:04;
1998 - 28:27/43:34/63:09;
1999 - 28:41/44:41/62:49; 2000 - 30:01/45:09/62:23 |
| Has run sub-30 for 10 km 34 times and sub-29 six
times, sub-45 for 15 km seven times, and sub-64 for the half
marathon six times. |
It makes for interesting reading to see the
man's progress as he knocks down all the barriers in his strive
to reach the top.
Fika has proven himself as a man for all season's
and has represented his country on the road, track and cross country,
quite an achievement for the lanky "boy" from Langa.
Time-to-Run continues to support
Makhosonke Fika in his local and international pursuits and wishes
him all the luck in his numerous running adventures abroad.
Time-to-Run source

Time-to-Run Athlete Profiles section
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