ELITES
Taking SA Running to New Heights
The Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series has played a massive role in upping the ante in South African road running in recent years , and with the fast , flat course in Durban being tailor-made for records and PBs , we could see this remarkable trend continue on 7 July .
Since the first of the Absa RUN YOUR CITY races in 2015 , these fast city runs have attracted world class talent to South African shores and motivated local athletes to push for faster times , both through stronger competition and through lucrative cash incentives . The result is that the vast majority of current top 20 men ’ s and women ’ s all-comers times run on South African soil have been posted in Absa RUN YOUR CITY races , and it is fair to say that this series has literally transformed the landscape of 10km running in SA . ( All-comers refers to all athletes participating in local races , be they South African or another nationality .)
Of the 27 men ’ s times that make up the top 20 allcomers list for 10km performances on SA soil , 24 were run in Absa RUN YOUR CITY events , with just three being run in other races . Amongst those 24 is Ugandan Joshua Cheptegei ’ s scintillating 27:16 in Durban in 2018 , which is still the fastest time ever run in SA , and Precious Mashele ’ s 27:35 SA Record , run in the Gqeberha leg in 2023 . This means that only three out of these 27 times were not run in Absa RUN YOUR CITY races ! Furthermore , up until midway through 2022 , no South African had ever run a sub-28:00 time on home
18 Run Your City Series
Joshua Cheptegei
soil , but the RYC Series has well and truly shattered that barrier in the last three years – see the sidebar for more on the highly exclusive Sub-28 Club .
When one looks at the top 10 performances of all-time by South African men anywhere in the world , the effect of the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series can clearly be seen as well . Seven out of the 13 times on this list were posted in Absa RUN YOUR CITY events , with all seven coming in the last three years ( along with two other non-RUN YOUR CITY times ), as the series has clearly helped tremendously to lift the standards of SA running .
Women Getting Faster
The women ’ s top 20 all-comer times are also dominated by Absa RUN YOUR CITY performances , with 16 of the 24 performances coming in Absa RUN YOUR CITY races , including the six best times , and eight of the top 10 . The fastest time run in South Africa is Stella Chesang ’ s 30:40 in Cape Town in 2022 , but according to World Athletics standards this is a point-to-point ‘ aided course ,’ and not eligible for records , so Jesca Chelangat ’ s 30:41 in Durban in 2022 ranks as the fastest official SA All-Comers Record .
While none of the current crop of top South African women feature in this top 20 – only Elana Meyer and Colleen De Reuck ’ s performances from two to three decades ago make the list - there has undoubtedly been a marked improvement in local racing over the 10km distance , thanks in part to the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series ( as well as some other events ) inviting top international athletes to race in SA . It is perhaps only a matter of time before this increased focus on shorter distance road races pays dividend for SA ’ s female athletes , and in the last year we already seen Glenrose Xaba break through the 32-minute barrier , and several others regularly posting 32-minute times .
The bottom line is that the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series set out to present fast routes on which the top athletes can chase world-class times , and while the podium positions have been dominated by international visitors through the years , our local athletes are really starting to reap the benefits of the higher level of racing that the Series has brought to SA . And the Durban leg this July is set to build on that record still further !
Stella Chesang
Glenrose Xaba