huge force to be reckoned with on the road circuit . Things looked rosy for the South African road circuit .
However , then the sponsors started to look at other areas of interest , the initial batch of pro clubs started to dismantle , and the halcyon days of road running in terms of money had come to an end by the turn of the century . The introduction of the Nedbank Running Club and the Nedbank Matha Series briefly resurrected the good times , but that also ended when Nedbank discontinued their support of the Matha Series around 2009 after a dispute with Athletics South Africa .
It was not all doom and gloom , though . For decades , SPAR had been investing into women ’ s running , and that investment continues today . If anything , it has increased even more of late . The likes of Rene Kalmer , Irvette van Zyl and Mapaseka Makhanya were regular winners in the series , while more and more women were coming through . But it wasn ’ t enough , and there was a big gap in the men ’ s road running calendar – if you wanted to earn decent money as a male athlete , you were basically forced to run the big four and focus on marathon or ultra distances . And the middle distances suffered accordingly .
New City Running Impetus
In 2015 things changed for the better when the new RUN YOUR CITY Cape Town 12 ONERUN was launched , and for the first time in years , there was a race on the circuit that catered to the elite middle distance runners . Not only that , the race also attracted international competition , and for the first time , South African athletes were contracted to race . In other words , they were paid appearance fees , and the prize money was deep , extending past the usual top three positions that most races offered . In 2016 , a 10km was added in Johannesburg to form a RUN YOUR CITY Series , and a year later the Durban 10km leg was also added .
The 12km route in Cape Town delivered the fastest men ’ s time ever run in the world for 12km , albeit not on a record-legal course , while the 10km route saw new SA men ’ s and women ’ s all-comers records set ( fastest times ever run on SA soil ). However , as the Series was growing in momentum , COVID-19 shut everything down , but with the return to racing in late 2021 , the RUN YOUR CITY Series bagged a massive coup : Stillwater signed Absa as the new title sponsor .
Initially it was a case of “ let ’ s just get road running back again ,” within the current restrictions , but prize money was still really good , including R30,000 for a win in the Durban and Cape Town legs of the 2021 Absa RUN YOUR CITY races . But in 2022 , the Absa and Stillwater have taken things to another level !
Big Incentives for SA Athletes
First Stillwater announced a unique approach to the Cape Town race in May – now a 10km instead of the original 12km – by inviting the best South Africans to race in the Mother City . If they finished in the top 30 , they were then invited as leading contenders to the Durban race on 10 July . They also announced the incentives for SA athletes in the Durban Race ... and they are hefty . A men ’ s sub-27min is worth R250,000 , as is a women ’ s sub-31 !
While no one expects any South African to hit those time just yet , a men ’ s sub-28min and women ’ s sub-32 are still lucrative marks to hit , as they will earn a runner R100,000 , and even a low 28min is worth between R30,000 and R40,000 on the men ’ s side , and similarly a low 32min for the women will earn that much ( see full breakdown of cash incentives to the right ). These times are not entirely outside the realms of possibility , because with top international athletes entering these races , the level of racing has been taken up a notch throughout the Series , pushing local runners to faster times . So , these goal times are certainly gettable if the athletes race to their full potential .
INCENTIVES - SA ONLY - DURBAN ONLY
MEN TIME
10K DURBAN WOMEN TIME
Sub 30:00 R 2 000,00 Sub 34:00 R 2 000,00 sub 29:50 R 3 000,00 sub : 33:50 R 3 000,00 sub 29:40 R 4 000,00 sub 33:40 R 4 000,00 sub 29:30 R 5 000,00 sub 33:30 R 5 000,00 sub 29:20 R 6 000,00 sub 33:20 R 6 000,00 sub 29:10 R 7 000,00 sub 33:10 R 7 000,00 Sub 29:00 R 12 000,00 Sub 33:00 R 12 000,00 sub 28:50 R 16 000,00 sub 32:50 R 16 000,00 sub 28:40 R 20 000,00 sub 32:40 R 20 000,00 sub28:30 R 24 000,00 sub 32:30 R 24 000,00 sub 28:20 R 28 000,00 sub 32:20 R 28 000,00 sub 28:15 R 32 000,00 sub 32:15 R 32 000,00 sub 28:10 R 36 000,00 sub 32:10 R 36 000,00 sub 28:05 R 40 000,00 sub 32:05 R 40 000,00 Sub 28:00 R 100 000,00 Sub 32:00 R 1 00 000,00 sub 27:50 R 120 000,00 sub 31:50 R 1 20 000,00 sub 27:40 R 140 000,00 sub 31:40 R 1 40 000,00 sub 27:30 R 160 000,00 sub 31:30 R 1 60 000,00 sub 27:20 R 180 000,00 sub 31:20 R 1 80 000,00 Sub 27:10 R 200 000,00 Sub 31:10 R 2 00 000,00 Sub 27:00 R 250 000,00 Sub 31:00 R 2 50 000,00
competitive on the world stage . With the most comprehensive Elite Athlete Programme of any running event in Africa , we believe our athletes are in control of their destiny , and that the programme will make it easier for athletes to determine their own reward , through their performance . We can ’ t wait to witness sensational running at the 2022 Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K on Sunday 10 July 2022 .”
Breaking 34 minutes will open the door to cash incentives for SA women in Durban on 10 July
Images : Anthony Grote , Action Photo SA
It must be emphasised that these incentives are for South African athletes only , but the incentive to perform is vastly increased by the fact that incentives will not only be paid to the first SA athlete who achieves those times . but to all who do so . So , if there are four athletes who go sub-28:05 in the men ’ s race , then all four get to earn R40,000 over and above the prize money they may get for placing in the top 15 .
Accepting the Challenge ?
It ’ s also important to note that these incentives have been known for some time , and South Africa ’ s finest have had months to train and hit their best form for 10 July . The challenge has been thrown out , and now it is time for the athletes to show up . After all , they have been complaining ( with reason ) about not being looked after for some time , so here , now , is an opportunity to change that .
As Meyer concludes , “ As the organisers of the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series , we are proud to help create opportunities for SA athletes to equip themselves to be
About the Author
Manfred Seidler is a freelance sport journalist who has been in the industry since 1994 , in both print media and broadcasting , covering four Olympic Games for SABC Radio , and producing various athletics shows for the SABC . Follow him on Twitter : @ sportmansa ; Facebook : Sport Man SA ; Instagram : sportman _ sa .
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