Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K Digimag 2024 July 2024 | Page 16

Elite Race
Kabelo Mulaudzi , Thabang Mosiako and Stephen Mokoka

Ready to Race !

Gelant has been in the shape of his life in recent months , setting personal bests over the marathon ( 2:08:56 ) and 10km ( 27:54 , in the Absa RUN YOUR CITY CAPE TOWN 10K ), while winning national titles over both the standard marathon and half marathon . “ I ’ m looking forward to the race in Durban ,” says Gelant , adding that he has been inspired by Precious Mashele ’ s 27:35 national record at the Absa RUN YOUR CITY GQEBERHA 10K last year . “ Our current generation of athletes are phenomenal , and I think last year in Gqeberha was a good eye-opener to show that we can dip under 28 minutes . I think that there ’ s going to be one or two more that will be motivated to run that sub-28 .”
Women ’ s Top Contenders
After clocking 31:57 in June , the second-fastest 10km time of her career and just two second slower than her lifetime best , South Africa ’ s Glenrose Xaba is aiming to replicate her form when she takes on the Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K . “ I ’ m very happy about this season so far , as I have been training hard and have even lost some weight in order to fulfil my goals ,” she said .
The 2023 Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K made history when three South African men clocked sub-28-minute times in the same race for the first time , and now we can expect another exciting race .

With about a kilometre to go , Thabang Mosiako led Kabelo Mulaudzi and Stephen Mokoka on the Durban Promenade , and as the finishline of the 2023 Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K came into view , the lead trio of South Africans began to ratchet up the pace yet again . In the final , flat-out sprint for the line , it was Mulaudzi that managed to pull ahead , and he took the win in 27:56 , with the other two both crossing the line in 27:59 , making it the first ( and still the only ) time that three South African men have dipped under 28 minutes the same race .

The great news for the 2024 edition of the race is that all three podium finishers from last year are back , and they are joined by a star-studded field , including SA Record-holder Precious Mashele as well as a contingent of international athletes , headlined by Uganda ’ s 19-year-old Keneth Kiprop , who finished sixth at the 2023 World Cross Country Championships . Kiprop is a training partner of 5000m and 10,000m World Record-holder Joshua Cheptegei , who won the Durban race in 2018 with the fastest time ever run on South African soil , and now the youngster is looking to make a name for himself in his SA debut . “ A lot of my fellow Ugandans have won this race , so the people that inspire me like , Joshua , have made me decide to come and try to win in Durban ,” says Kiprop .
Olympians in Action
After being officially added to the SA Olympic team , both Elroy Gelant and Stephen Mokoka are preparing for the marathon in Paris in early August , but first they are focused on the Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K . Mokoka says his plan is to use the Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K as a fitness test before the big day in the French capital . “ It will be my final race before the Olympics , so it ’ s part of the plan to make sure that I will be at my best ,” he says . “ The Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series has the best 10km races in the country . It ’ s always exciting because of the quality of the field , and the incentives that are there to motivate us to try and run faster . Sub-28 will be good , but I ’ ll take anything under 29 , because I must save up some energy for the Olympics !”
The reigning SA 5000m and 10,000m champion says her desire to dip under 32 minutes again is fuelled by the generous monetary time bonus incentives that the RUN YOUR CITY offers local athletes . She would pocket at least R60,000 if she can run faster than 32:08 , with as much as R200,000 on offer for a time of 30:23 or faster . “ If I manage to run 31 minutes , then it shows that I could run 30 minutes soon . I would be glad if I can run a good time like this in Durban , because there are a lot of incentives in that race , so I ’ m praying for beautiful weather on race day .”
As with the men ’ s elite field , the women ’ s line-up will feature a number of top international and local athletes , who will all be looking to run still more national records and personal bests on the famously fast Durban course . It ’ s shaping up to be a classic showdown .
All the Durban Winners
Men ’ s Winners
2017 : Joshua Cheptegei ( Uganda ) 27:28 2018 : Joshua Cheptegei ( Uganda ) 27:16 * 2019 : Stephen Mokoka ( South Africa ) 28:12 2021 : Precious Mashele ( South Africa ) 28:11 2022 : Isaac Kipkemboi ( Kenya ) 27:37 2023 : Kabelo Mulaudzi ( South Africa ) 27:56
Women
2017 : Mercyline Chelangat ( Uganda ) 31:37 2018 : Stella Chesang ( Uganda ) 31:14 2019 : Sheila Chepkirui ( Kenya ) 30:55 2021 : Tayla Kavanagh ( South Africa ) 32:10 2022 : Jesca Chelangat ( Kenya ) 30:41 * 2023 : Yalemzerf Yehualaw ( Ethiopia ) 30:46
* Course Record
Images : Gavin Ryan , Mark Sampson , Action Photo & courtesy NN Running Team
16 Run Your City Series