WIlliam Kaptein waved to the crowd as he stepped onto the grass inside the UCT Rugby Fields, confident that the title was within his grasp.
However, his showmanship almost cost him a historic victory in the half marathon of the Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon, as he only beat the runner-up by two seconds.
In the end, he won, and that was all that mattered. Kaptein made history by becoming only the second Capetonian to win the 21.1km race since Makhosonke Fika won the inaugural event back in 1998.
Speaking during the post-race media conference, the TymeBank Langa Athletic Club athlete said that he knew the night before the race that he was destined for victory.
“To be honest with you, on Saturday night when I switched off my phone, I said to my fiancé, ‘This race, I am going to win it.’
"I was ready for the race. I had trained enough and I was not going to die. I just knew I’d win it,” said the man who crossed the line in 64:41, a mere two seconds ahead of South African marathon champion Matlakala Seloyi.
So confident was he in his fitness that Kaptein made his move as early as the fifth kilometre.
“At 4km, I made a call. I said, ‘Let’s go.’ I even called on the former champion, Thabang (Mosiako), to go with me, but he did not come, and I found myself out on my own.
"No one wanted to go; they were scared. So, I saw the opportunity and I took it.”
They eventually closed the gap on him, though, with both Seloyi and Namakhoe Nkhasi reaching the grass fields before Kaptein crossed the finish line.
Seloyi felt he could have overtaken the winner had there been a few more metres left in the race. And the discerning Two Oceans half marathon runners would be quick to point out that a few hundred metres of the route — the notorious dog-leg late in the race — was removed this time around.
“It was a very tough race, but I am happy with my second place. I think if there had been a little more grass, maybe I would have beaten him,” said the Boxer Athletic Club runner, who is coached by former half marathon winner Gladwin Mzazi.
However, this day belonged to Kaptein.
“This one is the biggest win in a very long time. I’ve won some races in the past, like The Gun Run, but this is the biggest, biggest win for me.”
And undoubtedly, it was a significant victory for Cape Town, especially since outsiders have claimed the title in recent years, with Fika having made them proud in the inaugural race 27 years ago.