celebrations as he surged into the lead after 3km , taking Mbuleli Mathanga with him . Ultimately , he was not able to match the onslaught of top internationals Isaac Kipkemboi ( Kenya , 27:37 ), Namakoe Nkasi ( Lesotho , 27:52 ) and Asbel Rutto ( Kenya , 27:55 ), but he was not far off the podium as he crossed the line fourth in that incredible 27:58 , with Mbuleli sixth in a PB 28:03 . In an incredible race , four men dipped under 28 minutes , equal to the most ever in a South African race , and 10 went faster than 28:30 , the most ever in SA , while 12 of the top 20 men set PBs ! |
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Images : Anthony Grote & courtesy Hendrick Ramaala |
Besides the reward of a scintillating new PB , it was also a hefty pay-day for Maxime , as he pocketed R10,000 for finishing fourth and added a cool R100,000 bonus . This was thanks to the generous time-based incentive scheme offered by the Absa RUN YOUR CITY organisers , which included the sum of R100,000 for a sub-28 by a South African man , but Maxime admits he wasn ’ t sure he was going to make it . “ I struggled in those last two kilometres and had to dig deep , but I was not going to miss out on such a huge incentive by a few seconds . I did panic a bit in those last few metres when I could see the clock , and there were some anxious moments as I waited for the official result ,” says Maxime .
Very Limited Racing
There is another notable fact about Maxime ’ s PB run in Durban : It was his only road race of the year , and in another twist of irony , he says that his original planning for 2022 did not include running any road races whatsoever . In short , he finished second in the 5000m at the SA Track & Field
Championships in Cape Town in April , made history in the Durban 10K in July , then wrapped up his season and finished his studies in Politics , Philosophy and Economics .
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Given his clear talent on the road , which already came to light last year in Durban , many in the sport have questioned why he would only run one 10km race this year , but Maxime has adopted the same approach to racing as his coach , SA running legend Hendrick Ramaala . Maxime has trained under the watchful eye of Hendrick since 2015 , and is part of Hendrick ’ s vaunted Zoo Lake Training Group – and just like Hendrick did in his competitive days , Maxime picks and chooses his races carefully and sparingly .
“ My focus for 2022 was on the track , to get to the World Championships and Commonwealth Games , and I actually had no intentions of doing any road races this year . When I did not achieve qualification , and the Durban 10K announced their objectives , we decided to give that a go . I had done all the work to be in great shape for the 1500m and the 5000m , so instead of letting that form go to waste , we turned our focus to the Durban 10K . But that was always going to be the end of my season . My exams at the end of the year would be taking too much out of me if I wanted to make sure I did well academically , so while I continued to train , my focus shifted 100 % to my studies . Also , we never ran more than one 10km race in a year before .”
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Maxime is known for his aggressive front-running , as seen here in the 2021 Absa RUN YOUR CITY Durban 10K
However , it was that 10km that has now opened doors for Maxime . It ranks him 51st on the global standings at the end of 2022 , and that has led to an international athlete contract with an apparel sponsor , and he is now represented by international agent Gianni Demadonna . And yet , surprisingly enough , Maxime looks back on 2022 with some disappointment . “ My goal was to represent South Africa at the World Championships and the Commonwealth Games ., so it ’ s kind of weird … I made history , and yet I am a bit disappointed in my year ,” he says .
Aggressive Front-running
As mentioned earlier , Maxime really took the race to the other athletes in both the RUN YOUR CITY races in Durban , setting a fast pace right from the gun and continuing to push the pace throughout . He is renowned for his aggressive running tactics , and it was this aggressive approach that got him into serious trouble in 2021 , at the SA Track & Field Championships . Coming into the home straight of the 1500m final , Maxime was boxed in as the athletes were winding up for the final sprint . He had no way out , except by stepping on to the infield – which would have seen him disqualified – and in trying to get through the runners ahead of him by forcing a way through down the inside , he stepped onto the rail , tripped and clipped Luan Munnik .
Both fell hard to the track , with Luan breaking his wrist , and Maxime ’ s race tactics were roundly criticised as taking competitiveness too far .
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