ROAD RUNNING
Durban Dazzles
Again
The fast course of the Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K has already produced the fastest time ever run on South African soil , and while the weather put a slight dampener on this year ’ s race , the frontrunners still delivered plenty of fireworks in another scintillating race . – BY SEAN FALCONER with JACKY McCLEAN
In the lead-up to the sixth edition of the Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K on Sunday 9 July , all the talk was about the women-only World Record . This was because current overall women ’ s World Record-holder , Yalemzerf Yehualaw of Ethiopia , would be headlining a strong women ’ s field , and the women would be starting 12 minutes before the rest of the field in order to have the road to themselves and make a World Record attempt possible . Yehualaw set the open ( mixed race ) World Record of 29:14 in Spain in February 2022 , whereas the women-only World Record of 30:01 was set Agnes Tiprop of Kenya in Germany in 2021 . Mixed races tend to produce slightly faster women ’ s times due to the women being able to race alongside the top men .
Unfortunately , after brilliant weather in the previous five editions of this race , the weather decided to throw a spanner in the World Record works , with heavy rain during the early hours of race morning and a strong headwind hampering the runners in the first half of the race . As a result , when the women set off at 8am , Yehualaw sat in the lead pack of 10 runners for the first three kilometres , but then she showed that she was in town for business and broke clear , going through halfway in 15:40 , 18 seconds ahead of Ugandans Stella Chesang and Docus Ajok .
The Ethiopian made the most of the tailwind in the final 3km , clocking 15:06 for the second half and taking the win in 30:46 . Her time was a mere six seconds off the SA All Comers Record , set by Stella
Top 10 Results from Durban
Women ’ s winner , World Record-holder Yalemzerf Yehualaw of Ethiopia
Men ’ s winner , Kabelo Seboko , celebrates a breakthrough victory
TOP 10 MEN
1 |
Kabelo Seboko |
Boxer / South Africa |
27:56 |
2 |
Stephen Mokoka |
Boxer / South Africa |
27:59 |
3 |
Thabang Mosiako |
Nedbank / South Africa |
27:59 |
4 |
Asbel Kiprop Rutto |
Kenya |
28:17 |
5 |
Nicholas Seoposengwe |
Boxer / South Africa |
28:22 |
6 |
Pecious Mashele |
Boxer / South Africa |
28:24 |
7 |
Mathews Leeto |
Hollywood / South Africa |
28:25 |
8 |
Marc Scott |
Great Britain |
28:26 |
9 |
Namakoe Nkhasi |
Nebank / Lesotho |
28:31 |
10 |
Collen Mulaudzi |
Hollywood / South Africa |
28:35 |
TOP 10 WOMEN
1 |
Yalemzerf Yehualaw |
Ethiopia |
30:46 |
2 |
Docus Ajok |
Uganda |
31:54 |
3 |
Stella Chesang |
Uganda |
31:56 |
4 |
Diniya Kedir Abaraya |
Nedbank / Ethiopia |
32:03 |
5 |
Fridah Ndinda |
Kenya |
32:19 |
6 |
Neheng Khatala |
Hollywood / Lesotho |
32:24 |
7 |
Bekelech Teku Wariyo |
Nedbank / Ethiopia |
32:54 |
8 |
Cacisile Sosibo |
Boxer / South Africa |
33:03 |
9 |
Glenrose Xaba |
Boxer / South Africa |
33:15 |
10 |
Cian Oldknow |
Hollywood / South Africa |
33:32 |
Images : Gavin Ryan , Anthony Grote , Rogan Ward
12 ISSUE 160 | www . modernathlete . co . za