ROAD RUNNING
Sign Me Up
Nicholas Seoposengwe takes the men ’ s title in 29:42
Kenyan Emmaculate Achol wins the women ’ s race in 33:50
When Doug Carew from Splash Media sends you an invite on behalf of PUMA to run an event the shoe and clothing manufacturer is involved in , then I ’ m keen . And when that invite is for the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Joburg 10K , proudly brought to you by ABSA and Stillwater Sports , then I ’ m even more keen to have a trot .
– BY RICHARD LASKEY , MODERN ATHLETE DIRECTOR
At 5km , The SA 10km and Cross Country Champion was two seconds off Achol , who went through halfway in 17:08 , but a strong second half saw the Kenyan pull out another 10 seconds on the local favourite . “ Today was a good run for me , but my legs were slightly tired after last week ’ s SA Cross Country Championships and the last two months of racing ,” said Xaba .
Richard and Isabel ready to tackle the Absa RUN YOUR CITY JOBURG 10K
Another highlight of the day was the Win a Car Competition sponsored by Chery , the official vehicle brand of the series . Aadil Patel from Northcliff was the lucky runner that went home with a brand-new Chery Tiggo 4 Pro Urban ! To be in the running to win this spectacular prize , runners had to enter the event , collect their race number and be on the start line to be part of the lucky draw .
Richard proudly flew the flag for official apparel sponsor of the series , PUMA
Images : Charles Ndou , Anthony Grote & courtesy Richard Laskey
The race gets underway at Mary Fitzgerald Square
Let ’ s Do It Again Next Year
With three successful races in Cape Town , Durban and Joburg , the feedback from title sponsor of the RYC Series , Absa , was overwhelmingly positive . “ On behalf of Absa , we would like to congratulate all the winners for this year ’ s Absa RUN YOUR CITY series of events . The 2022 edition of these races was a true demonstration of what our campaign , Siyabangena – Together we can be more , means ,” said Geoffrey Lee , Absa Managing Executive .
“ We have successfully met our goal in the three cities to get our colleagues , customers , and community members of all fitness levels to work collectively and be an active force for good in their communities , while working towards achieving their fitness goals . Also , a big thank you to all participants who joined Team Absa Walk / Run on Strava , where we are going to collect R1 for charity for every kilometre completed by each participant . We are truly inspired by the display of commitment from everyone ,” he concluded .
Sometimes a photo doesn ’ t need a caption …
Race day dawned on a gloriously sunny September 24th Heritage Day , and what a day it proved to be able to ‘ Run Your City .’ After all , it ’ s not often that you get to run alongside 10,000 other eager beavers , and it ’ s definitely not every day that you get the opportunity to run on the usually congested M1 and M2 highways of Joburg . I think that as participants , we all too often simply take the organisation of events for granted , so kudos to Michael Meyer and his Stillwater team for being able to pull this off – no mean feat !
Music pumping and entertainment a plenty , including the giveaway of a Chery vehicle prior to the start , was just part of the fanfare that awaited the runners . The start was extremely well planned , with runners batched into starting pens , ensuring a safe and uncongested start . Funnelled through as each batch began , we passed under the start banner accompanied by screaming spectators and the DJ doing his thing to keep the spirits high on this festive occasion .
All About the Fun
The route itself starts at Mary Fitzgerald Square , before winding its way through the streets of the city centre , then out onto the M2 highway and back again . It ’ s not an overly tough route by any means , with very little climbing and elevation , whereas loads of entertainment was the order of the day , with percussion bands , drummers , singers , and of course , the red carpet of the PUMA Beat Bolt activation . Here runners had the chance to test their speed over 100m and gain a discount on their next PUMA purchase , depending on how close they came to Usain Bolt ’ s ridiculously fast ‘ Lightning Bolt ’ World Record time for 100m . This activation included Modern Athlete ’ s Editor , Sean Falconer , on the mic , and it was great to see a friendly face and have a chat before continuing on our merry way .
The buzz , atmosphere and camaraderie were incredible as the stream of red shirts snaked in front of us and behind us as far as the eye could see . The sights , sounds and smells of running through central Joburg were for the most part incredible , and running over the iconic Nelson Mandela bridge is always a truly special moment !
Finishing back at the same starting point , we crossed the line to a cacophony of commentators , music , dancers and other live entertainment , and of course with the timing being done by Craig Eldridge and his team from Finish Time . It was a superb run , one that I can highly recommend to others , and what a magic way to start the Heritage Day weekend .
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