RUSTENBURG HERALD - RUSTENBURG - Thabo Tau celebrates his 40th year of cross country running this year. He was born in the dusty village of Dinokana in Zeerust, and on 15 November Thabo Tau of Impala Marathon Club represented ANWN (Athletics North West North) at the ASA 10km championships held in Bloemfontein, where he came third (bronze medal) with a time of 41:34 after the two top runners in the country in his age group (60+ years - Grand Masters). The top three in this category were Desmond Zibi (Eastern Province - 36:09), Tobias Philander (Western Province - 40:27) and Thabo Tau (ANWN - 41:34).
Tau started his journey with cross country running on 26 October 1985 in Johannesburg at the Nashua Marathon at the age of 23, where he ran for his club, Impala Marathon Club until October 1993, when he suffered multiple fracture injuries from a car accident during his training with the team.
He couldn't train or compete until 1996 when he started with the road relays, running for Anglo Platinum. In 2016 he also joined Run Walk for Life. In 2018 his personal manager, Mr Aubrey Moitlobo, encouraged him to start representing North West North in cross country and road running championships.
Since then, he represented ANWN and never finished lower than position 10 for both cross country and road running.
His coach and mentor, Spencer Maraope, "adopted" him in 2019 and started designing suitable training programmes which annually improves his performance. In 2023, Mr Blackie Swart accepted Tau’s request to come back to his favourite team, Impala Marathon Club. Blackie is engaged in the community outreach programme in athletics and his project is doing wonders for upcoming elite runners.
Tau is currently recognised as an elite runner in the country because of Blackie's programme and his patient and committed coach, Spencer Maraope.
After achieving this milestone of a bronze medal at the national championship on 15 November, his focus is now the ASA 42km marathon in May 2026.
In conclusion he wishes to thank God, his family, his manager Aubrey Moitlobo, his coach Spencer Maraope, his club manager Blackie Swart and the entire Rustenburg community who cheers for him on the road every day during his training from Lekgabong Village to Rustenburg CBD, his fellow taxi industry firm guys and his son.
