In the high-altitude of Johannesburg, where every hill feels like it’s tugging at your shoelaces, Ethiopia’s Selam Gebre found her extra gear and left a record field of 12,000 women in her slipstream. At the season finale of the Totalsports Women’s Race at Marks Park on Sunday, she broke the tape in a blistering 33 minutes 27 seconds on a tough hilly route in ideal, sunny, windless conditions.
I’m tired from my travels between Ethiopia and South Africa and could feel it in my legs this morning.
There was one runner (Neheng Khatala) with me for a big part of the race. I just had to keep moving. She got tired and dropped off. I kept going. The course was tough and hilly. This suited me and I am incredibly happy to be first across the finish line today. It motivates me for my next event which will be the Absa RUN YOUR CITY TSHWANE 10K next Saturday in Pretoria.
It was a race run with equal parts grit and grace. Gebre, who first joined the Totalsports series in 2024, described the event as more than a competition; it’s a stage where women celebrate life and womanhood.
The organisers are very welcoming and always invite me to race. The Totalsports Women’s Race is special because it gives women the opportunity to showcase themselves and all their hard work.
Trailing in her wake, Lesotho’s current 10km record-holder Neheng Khatala. The iron-willed runner representing Hollywood Athletic Club claimed second, proving consistency is its own victory after completing all three races in Durban, Cape Town, and Johannesburg this year.
I’m very excited with my second position today. I executed the race very well. For the first time I did all three races. I am so proud of myself. I hope to do it next year again.
Kenya’s Debrah Cherotich rounded off the podium in third, but it was local legs that drew the loudest cheers.
South Africa’s Karabo Mailula sprinted home in fourth, clocking 35:09 and proving that the host nation’s heartbeat still thumps in rhythm with the continent’s best.
It feels great to represent South Africa well. I didn’t know the course, but my teammate told me it was going to be difficult. I knew it, because Jozi is always difficult. I was aiming for a better time, but I think that I have improved. I am happy with the result, position four, it’s fine for me. The Totalsports Women’s Race is doing an excellent job… I can encourage other girls to enjoy the race. It gives the opportunity to all the ladies around.
For organisers, Stillwater Sports the Totalsports Women's Series was the exclamation mark on a three-city sentence written by 2025’s women runners.
Congratulations to Selam Gebre on a well-earned victory. We also extend our sincere thanks to the 12,000 women who participated, the supporters who lined the streets, and our valued sponsors and partners who made this event, and the entire 2025 series possible. The Totalsports Women’s Race continues to be a platform for unity, empowerment, and positivity and we’re already looking forward to what the future holds.
Head of Marketing at Totalsports, Nikki Crous, echoed the sentiment, calling the Joburg leg a triumphant lap of honour.
The streets of Johannesburg came alive as 12,000 women clad in pink in support of the PinkDrive Charity. They ran united in the final leg of the Totalsports Women’s Race. It was truly inspiring to witness the joy on route which served as a powerful reminder of the impact of celebrating women through sport. Here’s to the incredible women who continue to show up, lift each other up, and run with purpose. Until next year, keep running united!
And so, the curtain falls on the 2025 series, its footprints etched across Durban’s coastline, Cape Town’s Mountain shadows, and Joburg’s hilly streets. For Gebre and her rivals, it was another chapter of sweat turned into triumph. For the rest, it was proof that when women run together, the finish line is only the beginning.
RESULTS: 2025 Totalsports Women’s Race Joburg
Date: Sunday 17 August 2025
Start Venue: Orange Road and Buffalo Road Junction, Marks Park
Finish Venue: Marks Park, Emmerentia
Top 10 Elite Women
- Selam Gebre (Ethiopia) 00:33:27
- Neheng Khatala (Lesotho) 00:33:44
- Debrah Cherotich (Kenya) 00:34:20
- Karabo Mailula (South Africa) 00:35:09
- Cacisile Sosibo (South Africa) 00:35:21
- Karabo More (South Africa) 00:35:58
- Carina Swiggers (South Africa) 00:37:38
- Violet Mogano (South Africa) 00:38:00
- Tayla Fisher (South Africa) 00:38:28
- Cornelia Joubert (South Africa) 00:38:53
