Well over 6000 runners and walkers turned out to pain the road of Durban red
ROAD RUNNING
Chesang at the Absa RUN YOUR CITY CAPE TOWN 10K in 2022 when she clocked 30:40 . The only other women ’ s time faster than Yehualaw on SA soil was Kenya ’ s Jesca Chelangat ’ s 30:41 in the 2022 Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K .
While slightly disappointed about the failed record attempt , Yehualaw was still happy to have taken the win , and after the race , she said , “ I really like the course , I can see it is fast , and if it wasn ’ t for the wind , I think I would have broken the record , so I really want to come back here and try again .” Behind her , international athletes took the next six positions , with the first South African over the line being Cacisile Sosibo in eighth place .
Coming to the Party
While the women ’ s race did not quite deliver the hoped for times , the men ’ s race more than made up for it , as 25-year-old Kabelo Seboko hit the big time by winning a pulsating final sprint for the line and taking the win in 27:56 . This not only capped his comeback from an injury-affected 2022 , but knocked 35 seconds off his previous best and earned him a payday of R90,000 – R30,000 for the win and a further R60,000 incentive for breaking 28 minutes – and rocketed him up to sixth on the SA all-time list of performers over 10km .
As with the women ’ s race , the headwind held the men back in the first half , with the lead pack hitting the 5km mark in 14:12 , but they made the most of the tailwind in the second half as they clocked 13:44 . Coming into the final kilometre , Seboko was still neck-and-neck with former SA 10km Record-holder Stephen Mokoka and Thabang Mosiako , but when it came down to a flat-out sprint for the finish line , he was able to edge the win .
“ I ’ m overjoyed ,” said Seboko . “ Last year was a rough one for me , as I was constantly battling with injury , so I went back to my old coach , Richard Meyer , and things started to fall into place again , as I was doing what worked for me . This win is massive . I knew I was in shape , but this is incredible !”
Mokoka and Mosiako were both clocked at 27:59 , but Mokoka was given the nod for second place by the line officials , while Mosiako had to settle for third . This is the first time that three men have dipped under 28 minutes in the same race on South African soil , and takes the total of sub-28 by SA athletes on SA soil to five , with Seboko and Mokoka joining Maxime
Chaumeton , Mashele and Mosiako in this select club , with Mosiako now the only one to have done it twice . All six of these sub-28 times were posted in Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series events .
Organisational Hit
“ A heartfelt congratulations to Kabelo Seboko and Yalemzerf Yehualaw on their remarkable performances at the sixth annual Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K ,” said Michael Meyer , Managing Director of Stillwater Sports and founder of the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series . “ The weather wasn ’ t in our favour , but we trust that all the entrants still had a fantastic experience . We are thankful to each and every participant , our dedicated sponsors , and valued partners for enabling the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series to thrive in the magnificent city of Durban .”
For more information on the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series , go to https :// runyourcityseries . com
Another Ecstatic Winner !
As part of the 2023 Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series , a brand-new Chery Tiggo 4 Pro Urban vehicle is given away before the start of each race . Five lucky finalists are randomly drawn from amongst all entrants and asked to attend the pre-race activities , with a live draw being done on stage to determine who will drive off with this awesome prize . And so , shortly before the start of the Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K , the five finalists nervously gathered on stage , and after a tense build-up , the name was drawn , and the winner was and ecstatic Ayesha Jeewa !
This awesome prize , valued at over R308,000 , is presented compliments of the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series and event partners Chery South Africa and Absa Vehicle and Asset Finance .
Ayesha ran the race with her own Chery VIP escort
Entertainment Everywhere !
The Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series events are renowned for terrific vibe all along their routes , courtesy of both sponsor activations and vibe zones , as well as local performing groups , including bands , dancers , cheerleaders and DJs . Here are just a few images of the party on foot that was the Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K .
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