Tayla Kavanagh is the new South African national 10km champion after dominating the women’s event, which was incorporated into the Northridge Mall Marathon, in Mangaung, the Free State, on Saturday, 15 November 2025.
Kavanagh lived up to the hype as the pre-race favourite in the women’s contest, with the in-form athlete easing away in wet conditions to claim gold for KwaZulu-Natal Athletics (KZNA) in 33:05.
Finishing more than a minute behind her, Karabo Mailula earned the silver medal for the second year in a row, taking second place in 34:20. Her AGN teammate Elizabeth Hutamo ended third in 34:59 to take the bottom step on the podium.
Having enjoyed a breakthrough season over the 10km distance, climbing to fourth place in the all-time SA rankings and dipping under 32 minutes on two occasions, Kavanagh said she was delighted to close out her 2025 campaign in style.
“I’m really thrilled with how today’s race went. The goal was to take the win today. That was the aim to end the year, so I was just really pleased with how I executed the race, and come away with the win,” Kavanagh said.
“The rain made the roads a little bit slippery, so on the corners you had to be cautious and my hands went out every now and then just to find my balance. But yesterday we had a particularly hot day here (in Mangaung), so I was quite pleased that today was a bit cooler. I do prefer cooler conditions, so I would say the conditions were pretty good.”
Original Copy: Athletics South Africa, with editing by gsport
Main Photo Caption: Tayla Kavanagh is the new South African national 10km champion after dominating the women’s event, which was incorporated into the Northridge Mall Marathon, in Mangaung, the Free State, on Saturday, 15 November 2025. Photo: Michael Fragoeiro / KZN Athletics
Photo 2 Caption: Congratulations to the 2025 SA 10km medalists (from left) Karabo Mailula, Tayla Kavanagh, and Elizabeth Hutamo. Photo: Wesley Botton
Photo 3 Caption: Kavanagh has enjoyed a breakthrough season, saying she was delighted to close out her 2025 campaign in style. Photo: Wesley Botton
