FOREWORD
Messages ofWelcome
From the
Executive Mayor 6 Run Your City Series Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality
Welcome to the fourth annual Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series for 2025! Under the vibrant banner of“ Take Your Story to the Streets,” we’ re thrilled to welcome you to one of South Africa’ s most energetic and inspiring running events. Whether you’ re lacing up for your first 10km or chasing a new personal best, this series is where passion, purpose and pavement meet.
This year, we’ re taking things to the next level. Imagine the thrill of
Title Sponsor … spotting your name on an iconic street sign on race day, a surprise tribute to the unique stories each of you brings to our streets. Because at Absa,“ Your Story Matters” isn’ t just a tagline, it’ s a celebration of you.
From Gqeberha to Tshwane, Joburg to Durban and Cape Town, every stride you take is part of a greater movement. And it’ s not just about running, it’ s about giving back. Through our R1 Campaign, we’ re turning every kilometre run or walked by Team Absa members on Strava into real change. With nearly R5 million raised in just two years, we’ ve planted hope in the form of school vegetable gardens across the country, and this year, with your help, we’ re aiming even higher.
So, whether you’ re a seasoned marathoner, a weekend warrior, or cheering from the sidelines with vuvuzelas in hand, your presence matters. Your energy fuels the spirit of this series, and your journey is the heartbeat of our community.
Get ready to mark your calendars, rally your squad, and share your story – one stride, one smile, one unforgettable moment at a time. See you at the starting line, and at the finish, where stories become victories. And let’ s make 2025 a year to remember!
Sydney Nhlanhla Mbhele
Absa’ s Group Chief Marketing and Corporate Affairs Officer
Nelson Mandela Bay, let’ s come together and make the Absa RUN YOUR CITY GQEBERHA 10K a truly unforgettable experience! I encourage all our residents to hit the streets, and be part of this incredible race on Sunday 13 April.
Whether you’ re chasing a personal best or just running for fun, this is your chance to showcase our city’ s vibrant energy. And to those not racing, let’ s do what we do best –
From the Host be the warm, welcoming city we’ re
City … known for. Let’ s line the streets, cheer on the runners, and make sure our visitors feel the unbeatable spirit of Nelson Mandela Bay!
To all our visitors, while you’ re here, why not explore everything our beautiful Bay has to offer? From breathtaking beaches and game reserves, to buzzing local markets and oceanfront dining, there’ s something for everyone. Take a stroll along our stunning beachfront, relax on one of our Blue Flag beaches, including Hobie, Kings and Humewood Beaches, and experience the best of our incredible city.
Let’ s make this an unforgettable event!
Cllr Babalwa Lobishe
From the Race Founder …
From the Host Province …
Welcome to the first event in the 2025 Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series! It’ s fantastic to be back in the City of Champions, Gqeberha, and we warmly thank our host, Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, for the privilege of staging this amazing event through the beautiful streets of the city.
Gqeberha has also branded itself as the City of Action, and we hope that everyone running, everyone watching in the city, as well as the many thousands of television viewers watching the race live on Supersport, will experience the pulsating world-class action. This year’ s race sees the participation of one of South Africa’ s best distance runners, Adriaan Wildschutt, and many other world-class athletes, and we hope the weather will co-operate to ensure world-class times.
Taking part in an event such as this, whether as a walker or a runner, is a major step towards creating the healthier lifestyle we all desire, so we hope that the Absa RUN YOUR CITY GQEBERHA 10K will encourage and energise everyone in the Eastern Cape to become active and lead a healthy lifestyle.
We thank our anchor sponsors, Absa, PUMA, Chery, Coca-Cola and Castle Lite, as we look forward to creating a world-class, unique and invigorating running experience for thousands of runners across South Africa. Finally, we wish every runner an amazing, rewarding and fun experience. Good luck!
Michael Meyer
Managing Director of Stillwater Sports
It is with great pride and excitement that I welcome you to this standout event on our province’ s running calendar. This race is more than just a sporting event; it is a celebration of unity, determination, and the incredible power of athletics to bring people together from all walks of life.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to our title sponsor, Absa, whose unwavering support and vision continue to elevate road running in South Africa. Thanks to their investment, athletes from all backgrounds are able to compete alongside elite runners in professionally organised events, helping to nurture future champions and strengthening the athletics community as a whole. We are also deeply grateful to the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality for its commitment to sport and community development, making it possible for events of this calibre to take place in our city, boosting local pride and creating opportunities far beyond the finish line.
The support of all our sponsors and partners plays a vital role in helping us generate income that is reinvested into the sport at grassroots level, ensuring long-term growth and sustainability for Eastern Province Athletics.
Lastly, we salute the courage and commitment of all the athletes. Thank you for being part of this incredible event, and we look forward to an exciting race and an unforgettable day in Gqeberha!
Sticks Stiglinghr
President of Eastern Province Athletics