Hollywood Athletics Club’s Purple Team turned its sold-out Hollywoodbets Joburg 10km into a showcase of organisational muscle and elite running firepower, with Neheng Khatala striking gold and three club athletes finishing in the men’s top seven at Nasrec on Sunday.
The third edition of the race attracted 12,000 participants across the 10km and 5km events, doubling last year’s turnout and turning the streets around the Johannesburg Expo Centre into a spectacular sea of purple.
For the Hollywoodbets Purple Team, the day was a powerful advertisement for its growing footprint in South African road running. Its elite stars delivered on the road while the organisers celebrated another milestone for an event that has rapidly become a major fixture on the racing calendar.
Nedbank Running Club’s Thabang Mosiako stopped the hosts from sweeping the men’s honours, defending his title in 30:43. Hollywood’s former Comrades Marathon champion Edward Mothibi, however, stole the spotlight with a superb second place in 30:51, matching third-placed Rebaone Obotseng’s time.
Thabang Mosiako successfully defended his title. Photo: Suppied
“I am really happy with my achievement today because it’s my second time running the Hollywoodbets Joburg. I think it was my third or fourth, but I have been maintaining a podium finish, so I can say I am very happy I managed to defend my title,” he said.
Mothibi’s performance was particularly impressive against a field packed with specialist 10km runners. The veteran showed that his endurance pedigree still carries plenty of firepower over shorter distances.
Hollywood’s Poloko Maphunye finished fourth in 30:54, while Stephen Mokoka, the experienced multiple South African record-holder, placed seventh in 31:29.
Edward Mothibi Photo: Supplied
Three Hollywood Athletics Club runners in the men’s top seven offered tangible evidence of the Purple Team’s depth, with Mothibi leading the charge and Maphunye and Mokoka reinforcing the club’s presence among the front-runners.
Khatala leads a purple podium charge
The women’s race provided an even bigger celebration for the hosts.
Lesotho’s 10km record-holder Neheng Khatala crossed the finish line in 33:40 to collect the R40,000 winner’s cheque and complete a memorable Durban-Joburg double after winning the Hollywoodbets Durban 10km in August.
The 2024 Olympian knew the hilly route would demand discipline and strength. Having won the Soweto Marathon two years ago, she recognised the challenge posed by the closing kilometres.
“I knew I did not have to go too fast; just manage my speed and balance the pace so I get to the finish because I did not want to be slaughtered at the end,” she said.
Emma Pallant-Brown, Neheng Khatala and Irvette van Zyl Photo: Adnaan Mohamed
UK-born Emma Pallant-Browne of Peak Running Club finished second in 35:04, followed by Hollywood teammate Irvette van Zyl in 35:17. South Africa’s golden girl of ultra-distance running, Gerda Steyn, completed a memorable club performance in fourth in 35:42.
Having three Hollywood athletes among the women’s leading four and five in the top 10 gave the Purple Team another reason to celebrate. Khatala’s victory, Van Zyl’s podium finish and Steyn’s fourth place underlined the strength of a line-up featuring talent across different racing distances.
The 2024 Olympian knew the hilly route would demand discipline and strength. Having won the Soweto Marathon two years ago, she recognised the challenge posed by the closing kilometres.
“I knew I did not have to go too fast; just manage my speed and balance the pace so I get to the finish because I did not want to be slaughtered at the end,” she said.
Khatala said winning in her club colours made the occasion particularly special, with the responsibility of representing her own team adding to the emotion.
Purple momentum heads to Mangaung
The club’s attention now shifts to the next challenge. Khatala, Van Zyl and Steyn are set to line up at the inaugural Absa RUN YOUR CITY Mangaung 10km next Sunday, where Khatala hopes to attract strong support from fellow Basotho.
For Hollywood Athletics Club, Sunday’s success was about more than prize money and podium photographs. A sold-out mass-participation event, a formidable elite contingent and three male runners in the top seven provided a compelling demonstration of the Purple Team’s competitive reach.
Nasrec belonged to the purple wave. The challenge now is to keep it rolling.
A rising star, a seasoned campaigner and a defending champion will bring three very different ambitions to the starting line when the sold-out Hollywoodbets Joburg 10km unleashes 12,000 runners at Nasrec on Sunday morning.
Twenty-two-year-old Sibusiso Msibi is hungry to announce himself on the big stage, Hollywood Athletics Clubveteran Stephen Mokoka is chasing another strong finish, and Nedbank Running Club speedster Thabang Mosiako must decide how much his body has left after a demanding marathon in Germany.
The third edition of the race starts at 07:30, with the winner’s prize climbing to R40,000, making it the richest-paying 10km race in South Africa. With the stakes rising and the field packed, the road to glory promises to be anything but a Sunday stroll.
Rising Star: Sibusiso Msibi
For Msibi, the race represents a golden ticket to a bigger stage.
The University of Johannesburg athlete, who won the 2025 ASA 4km cross-country title, has spent much of his development focusing on track and cross-country. His speciality is the 1,500m and 5,000m, and he is now stretching his ambitions onto the road.
Speaking at Friday’s pre-race media conference in Hyde Park, the Tembisa-born runner made no secret of his intentions.
“I feel if I do good on Sunday, it will open opportunities for me. This is special for me. I am going all out and I am expecting a podium finish.”
Msibi has watched Mokoka and Mosiako from afar, drawing inspiration from the very athletes he will now measure himself against. A 10km encounter with Mokoka at a Region 5 event last year left a lasting impression.
“I remember watching them on TV and wishing to be like them,” he said. “He actually spoke to me during the race, but at the time I was ‘suffering’. That told me to go back and work harder at training.”
His focus remains on cross-country and University Sports South Africa competition next year, while bigger road races are firmly on his horizon. Balancing studies and athletics adds another layer to his challenge, although he says he is coping.
The former South African half-marathon champion pocketed R37,500 for winning last year’s race. However, his marathon outing in Cologne, Germany, two weeks ago has complicated his Johannesburg campaign.
The 31-year-old is still assessing his recovery and rates his chances at 50/50, wary of pushing too hard and risking injury. His usual end-of-year peak has also been disrupted by bringing his marathon plans forward.
He has even identified Msibi as a serious threat.
“I don’t think I’m going to defend this title with this young man next to me because I saw he can sprint that final 5km,” Mosiako said. “I’m still in my marathon mindset so I’m going to go with the flow and then we’ll see how the race unfolds.”
“My target this year is to be able to maintain being in the top six from last year in Durban,” he said, reflecting on his recent results.
Mokoka also has reason to feel satisfied with his season after clocking 2:10:48 at the Cape Town Marathon, where he finished 13th.
At Nasrec, youth, experience and endurance will collide over 10 kilometres. Msibi wants a breakthrough, Mosiako hopes his marathon-weary legs can still deliver a title defence, and Mokoka has the experience to read every twist in the race.
The stopwatch will have the final say. For Msibi, though, Sunday could be the morning his name moves from the margins of South African distance running into the spotlight.
Venue: Johannesburg Expo Centre NASREC.
Start Times: The 10km race starts at 07h30. The 5km fun run follows at 08h00.
Race Pack Collection: Today (Saturday, 17 October) is the final day to collect your race number and pack. Collections are open at NASREC until 18h00. Note that there are strictly no race-day entries or number collections tomorrow morning.
Strict Rules: Running with headphones, earphones, or pets is strictly prohibited for safety reasons.
Cut-off Times: The 10km route has a hard cut-off at 09h00 (1 hour 30 minutes course time), and the 5km cut-off is at 09h30.
Gerda Steyn is accustomed to conquering the long road, but at the Hollywoodbets Joburg 10k on Sunday, the queen of South African ultra-running will need to summon her speed, sharpen her instincts and keep her rivals firmly in her sights.
The race starts at 7:30am at Nasrec, where 12 000 entrants are expected to turn the occasion into a celebration of running, community and personal achievement. At the sharp end of the elite women’s contest, Steyn faces a compelling challenge from Hollywood Athletics Club teammateNeheng Khatala and UK-born athlete Emma Pallant-Browne.
With defending champion Fridah Ndinda absent, the battle for the title is wide open. Steyn finished second behind the Kenyan last year and will be determined to go one better in the third edition, with R40 000 awaiting the winner.
The seven-time Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon and five-time Comrades Marathon champion has built a reputation on
endurance, resilience and an ability to deliver when the kilometres begin to bite. Yet she is taking nothing for granted over a distance where the pace is fierce and the margin for error is razor-thin.
The Hollywood AC star made it clear that a podium finish would represent a significant achievement.
“The 10km race dynamic is very unpredictable, and I know that there will be strong competition on Sunday. Yes, the previous winner is not here, but there are many other elite runners, so just to finish on the podium will be an amazing achievement for me.”
Khatala’s presence adds an intriguing club dimension to the contest, while Pallant-Browne brings another formidable challenge to a race that should demand speed and tactical nous from the opening strides.
Steyn has increasingly embraced the 10km as an important part of her racing calendar, using the shorter distance to develop speed and maintain her competitive edge ahead of a demanding 2027 season.
“It’s very exciting for me to line up in yet another 10km race because I always find the 10km race distance so challenging and so different to the marathons and ultra-marathons. These races play a very specific role in my preparation throughout the year.
“You have to challenge yourself at a much faster pace and you have to remain focused during each and every single second of the race.”
Her training has also taken a new direction this year, with trail running added to the mix as she prepares for the challenge of a 100km trail race next year. It is another test of versatility for an athlete whose appetite for endurance challenges appears boundless.
For Steyn, Sunday is an opportunity to turn that preparation into a performance and test herself against quality opposition on a faster stage.
She also has an encouraging message for the thousands of recreational runners lining up at Nasrec, particularly those tackling their first 10km.
Enjoy the experience, trust your preparation and make the most of the opportunity to be part of one of South Africa’s biggest road-running events.
Whether chasing a personal best, completing a first 10km or racing for the R40 000 prize, every runner will have a finish line worth celebrating.
For Steyn, though, the mission is clear: turn last year’s silver into gold. With Khatala and Pallant-Browne in the mix, the road to victory promises to be anything but a Sunday stroll.
