New Year, new club - it all worked out perfectly for John September up the West Coast on Saturday morning.
The wily veteran has won many a race around the province, let alone up the West Coast.
Late last year he was top five in a half-marathon run on a very similar course to Saturday's 15km Poppy Road Race from Bloubergstrand to Melkbosstrand and back.
Back then he was running for the Adidas club.
On Saturday he donned the familiar green and white colours of Celtic Harriers.
And he took to them fabulously.
Admittedly many of the top roadsters are resting as they contemplate Sunday's Mallinicks Bay to Bay 30km at Camps Bay.
But that didn't bother September as he moved into the lead in the early stages of the gently undulating course along the Atlantic seaboard.
He came home in 48min 32sec, a yawning 3min 41sec clear of second-placed Jonny Persents (also a veteran) of Adidas in 52:13.
Third was Varsity Old Boys' Dion Middelkoop, not yet a veteran, in 54:29.
The women's race went to September's Celtic teammate Bulelwa Mtshagi.
She placed 21st overall in 58:27 to hold off visiting United Kingdom athlete Abby Wilson who clocked 59:25.
Third, and first veteran, was Harmony's Elmarie Coetzee in 59:48.
Best of the over-50 categories was Strand's Johan Diener in the men (58:05) and Nancy Will of Pinelands in the women (64:34).
Meanwhile, next weekend's Mallinicks Bay to Bay road race organised by the Atlantic Athletics Club will be run on Sunday instead of the normal Saturday.
Last year's race winner, Thembilani Zola (Mr Price) finished in a time of 01:38:35 with the first lady home being Leanne Juul (Harmony) in a time of 02:03:43. The course record of 1:32:43 set in 2003 by Neo Molema (Mr Price) remains unbeaten.
This year's cut-off time of 3 hours has been extended to 4 hours. The race begins at Maidens Cove, Victoria Road in Clifton and finishes at La Med at The Glen Country Club in Camps Bay. Start time for the 30km race and 2 x 15km relay race is at 6.30am and the 5km fun run/walk starts at 6.45am.
Registration for the race will take place on Sunday at The Glen Country Club (next to La Med) from 5.15am.
Alternatively, runners who want to avoid the early morning rush can also register at Sportsmans Warehouse in Rondebosch on Saturday between 10am-6pm.