LAZARUS SEROKA – LIMPOPO’S INTERNATIONAL RUNNING SENSATION

By Joshua Kwapa

• At 61, Lazarus Seroka from Burgersfort, Sekhukhune, won the Grand Masters division at the 8th Imbube Marathon in Eswatini earlier this month.
• He has been running every day since 1979 and credits his good health to a diet rich in fruit, traditional vegetables and mopani worms.
• He will make his Golden Games debut this year in the men’s 800m for the 60 to 70 age category.

“I eat lots of fruit and vegetables, especially traditional vegetables, and masonja (mopani worms) for protein.”

Talking to 61-year-old Lazarus Seroka from Burgersfort in Sekhukhune, Limpopo, it is clear that he takes both his health and his running seriously.

Earlier this month, the Pietersburg Road Runners Club member won the Grand Masters division at the 8th edition of the Imbube Marathon, Eswatini’s premier road race, formerly known as the Swaziland Marathon. It was not his first international outing; he has also competed in Lesotho.

Health problems? Lazarus, who started running in 1979 at the age of 14 and has not stopped since, simply shakes his head. “No, I have none of those ailments, and I train every day,” he says.

This year marks his first appearance at the Golden Games, where he will compete in the 800m for men aged 60 to 70.

We hold thumbs for you, Lazarus!