Desert conquered

The Standard Bank Dunes X-Trail, which consisted of 8km and 16km runs in the Namib Desert, took place in Swakopmund over the weekend. In the men's 16km race, Eric Goeieman emerged victorious. He clocked a time of 1:00:09. Thomas Miller finished second and Carl Jooste third.

“I feel very happy with myself for winning this event. It was not an easy race. It was a bit hard for me, but I managed to win it,” Goeieman said.

He added that he is preparing hard for more running events.

“This year I look for forward to running the Hangana Marathon from Swakopmund to Walvis Bay. My main aim is… I want to qualify for the 2020 world championships and the 2020 Olympic Games, but that needs more hard work,” he said.

Stephanie Roland won the women's 16km race. She crossed the finish line in a time of 1:21:01, ahead of Zilke Putzen and Wilmari Shalver.

Roland prepared well for the race, as she usually runs longer distances during practice.

“I'm an ultra-distance runner, so I run between 60km and 100km per week as part of my normal training.

This was a very tough race in the dunes and I have never run in thick sand before, so it was a completely new experience, but it was nice.

“I am going to run the Hangana Marathon in two or three weeks' time and a couple of ultra-distance races, which I still need to decide,” said Roland.

In the men's 8km race, Albertus Goeieman was victorious. He crossed the finish line with 33:48 on the clock. He outpaced Herman Katima and Lesley Gawaseb, who finished second and third respectively.

Ndahambelela Shelikita won the women's 8km race in an impressive time of 42:28.

She was followed home by Monika Lasarus in second place and Jo-Andri Pretorious in third.

Adolf Kaure