Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 170 July 2024 | Page 29

ROAD RUNNING

The Sub-28 Club

When Stephen Mokoka set a South African Record of 27:38 for 10km in the UK in 2015 , he also became just the fourth South African to dip below the 28-minute mark for the distance . Matthews Motshwarateu was the first to do it in the USA in 1988 , followed by Gert Thys running 27:58 in 1996 ( also in the USA ) and Shadrack Hoff clocking 27:50 in 2002 , in Qatar . Two other athletes who came close to posting a sub-28 were Simon Morolong , who ran 28:00 in the USA in 1995 , and Hendrick Ramaala , whose best of 28:02 came in Wales in 1999 .
Precious Mashele
Adriaan Wildschutt
Images : Wade Howard , Action Photo , Anthony Grote , Gavin Ryan , Tobias Ginsberg , Johan Minnaar , Mark Sampson
Stephen Mokoka
By July 2022 , Mokoka ’ s record still stood , and no other South African had broken through the 28-minute barrier , let alone done it on home soil , until Maxime Chaumeton ’ s trailblazing 27:58 in the Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K . Then in April 2023 , at the inaugural Absa RUN YOUR CITY GQEBERHA 10K , Precious Mashele ran a scintillating 27:35 and Thabang Mosiako clocked 27:52 to join the Sub-28 Club , with Mashele claiming the SA Record from Mokoka by three seconds . This was also the first time two South Africans had gone sub-28 in the same race .
Maxime Chaumeton
Thabang Mosiako
Just a few months later , the record books were rewritten once again , as three South Africans dipped under 28 minutes in the same race , at the 2023 Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K . After a sinew-stretching sprint finish , Kabelo Mulaudzi took the win in 27:56 , with Mokoka and Mosiako both clocking 27:59 , but being adjudged second and third respectively . This meant that Mokoka and Mosiako became the first South Africans to clock two sub-28s , with Mosiako the first to run both on home soil .
Kabelo Mulaudzi
In October , US-based Adriaan Wildschutt surprised everyone when he clocked 27:53 to win the Sanlam Cape Town Peace 10km , in his first road race in a number of years after focusing on the track and setting SA Records for 3000m , 5000m and 10,000m . Soon after that , Mosiako shaved seven seconds off his PB when he clocked 27:45 in France in November , becoming the first South African to run three sub-28 times , and moving to third on the all-time SA list .
This year , Elroy Gelant joined the Sub-28 Club in May , and became the seventh to break 28 minutes on home soil , when he crossed the line in 27:54 at the Absa RUN YOUR CITY CAPE TOWN 10K . Just two months later he went still faster , at the Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K , winning the race in 27:47 and moving up to fourth on the all-time SA list . This race also made history as five men , including four South Africans , ran sub-28 , with Gelant followed over the line by Mulaudzi ( 27:53 ), Mosiako ( 27:54 ) and Mokoka ( 27:56 ).
Elroy Gelant
South Africa now has a total of 10 runners in the Sub- 28 Club , with 17 sub-28 times between them . While Mashele holds the SA Record , Mosiako leads the way with four sub-28s , followed by Mokoka on three , and Mulaudzi and Gelant on two each . It ’ s a far cry from where things stood just two years ago , until Chaumeton and his fellow sub-28s decided to kick the sub-28 barrier into touch !
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