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Ellina Mhlanga Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWEAN ultra-distance runner Emily Hawgood had an impressive outing over the weekend when she came second at the Ultra Trail Cape Town 100km in South Africa.
Hawgood was the second to cross the finish line in 12hours 3minutes 51seconds.
Great Britain’s Beth Pascall won the race in 10 hours 55minutes 25seconds, setting a new record in the women’s event. On third place was Dominika Stelmach of Poland in 12hours 15minutes 36seconds.
Hawgood won the same event last year but this time she was beaten into second place by Pascall but still put up a remarkable show for someone who has been pursuing this road for just a few years.
Speaking to Sport24, she said having been there last year helped her as she knew the course.
“I am so stoked. It was such a big day. I took it out really strong, I took some chances in the beginning as I wanted to see how the girls wanted to play the day. It definitely paid off. I could see weaknesses and dropped back. It really helped knowing the course,” said Hawgood.
The Zimbabwean ultra-distance runner, who is also an accomplished triathlete, has always been passionate about running and began her journey in ultra-events in 2017 and has proved her pedigree within a short space of time.
Some of the races she has competed in include the American River 50 Miler in California and the Chuckanut 50km in Bellingham, Washington.
She raced in the Skyrunner World Series, which is run mainly in Europe over a year with different races and finished in the top 10 last year. She concluded the year on a high note by winning the Ultra Trail Cape Town 100km in South Africa and over the weekend she made her second appearance at the event that was dominated by foreigners.
On fourth place was South Africa’s Nicolette Griffioen in 12hours 24minutes 3seconds and Amanda Basham of USA was fifth in 12hours 36minutes 37seconds.
USA’s Cody Reed emerged the winner in the men’s event in 10hours 4minutes 58seconds, followed by Francois D’Haene of France on second place in 10hours 11minutes 22seconds.
Nicolas Martin settled for third position in 10hours 14minutes 10seconds in a race dominated by French runners from position two to five. Ugo Ferrari and Jean-Adrien Michel were fourth and fifth in 10hours 26minutes 21seconds and 10hours 34minutes 45seconds respectively.
The UTCT 100km race is the final event on the Ultra-trail World Tour calendar and attracts top ultra-distance runners from across the globe.
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