THE SERIES
RYC Series 2021
South Africa has a rich history in road running , from two Olympic marathon gold medals and various World Records or World Bests over the years , to a race calendar packed with hundreds upon hundreds of races . Running is very much a national pastime , and the running community gets excited when something new and fresh comes along … like the innovative and exciting Run Your City ( RYC ) Series .
It started with the Cape Town 12K CITYRUN in 2015 , with the Joburg 10K CITYRUN added in 2016 , and the Durban 10K CITYRUN following in 2017 . “ We wanted to create events that highlighted the splendour of each host city , while giving runners of all fitness levels the opportunity to participate in a road running experience like no other ,” says Michael Meyer , Managing Director of organisers , Stillwater Sports . “ We tried to bring all of the components together – mass participation , world class performances , and a very entertaining experience , with sound , music , colour and movement all along the routes .”
Success Upon Success
The races proved hugely popular , both with elite and recreational runners , and the fast courses attracted top international talent . This led to Stephen Mokoka setting a new South African best time for 12km in Cape Town in 2016 , followed by Kenya ’ s Morris Gachaga breaking the World Best time for 12km in Cape Town in 2017 . From 2017 to 2019 , Ugandan Joshua Cheptegei set two men ’ s SA All-Comers Records in Durban , while Kenyans Stella Chesang ( 2018 ) and Sheila Chepkirui ( 2019 ) each set a women ’ s SA All-Comers Record in Durban .
In 2019 , both the Cape Town and Durban races were awarded Bronze Label status by the International Association of Athletics Federation ( now known as World Athletics ), and still more success followed in 2020 , when all three races in the series achieved World Athletics Label status
– Silver Labels Cape Town and Durban , and a Bronze Label for Joburg for the first time . But then COVID-19 appeared on the horizon , and just weeks before the 2020 Cape Town 12K CITYRUN , the race had to be cancelled as South Africa entered its initial weeks of lockdown . Unfortunately , the 2020 Durban and Joburg races eventually also had to be cancelled .
In August 2020 , the Stillwater team announced that the actual RYC Series events may be cancelled , but the series would live on with the RYC Series Heritage Day Virtual Run on 24 September . Over 15,000 runners and walkers from 43 countries signed up to be part of this hugely successful event , and it generated huge excitement amongst the running community in South Africa .
The Show Will Go on
Now for the great news ! In 2021 , the Run Your City Series is back , with three races scheduled for later in the year . Actual race details will depend on what happens with the COVID pandemic and roll-out of vaccines in South Africa , but for now , we ’ d like you to mark these dates on your calendar :
24 September 2021 – Joburg 10K CITYRUN 31 October 2021 – Durban 10K CITYRUN 21 November 2021 – Cape Town 12K CITYRUN
Furthermore , in the build-up to these events , and to keep you motivated to train to be race-ready for the RYC Series races , Stillwater Sports launched a RYC Series Running Club on Strava , with regular , fun challenges for you to take on . You could win amazing prizes and give-aways for participating in these challenges , so read on for more info .
The RYC Series is also holding a series of 5K PUMA NITRO Demo Runs in all three major centres where the RYC Series races take place , and you are invited to sign up and take the awesome new PUMA NITRO range of shoes for a test run . Again , there ’ s more info in this digimag .
The bottom line is that the Run Your City Series 2021 is on , and we can ’ t wait to run with you again !
Follow us for all the updates on the RYC Series Running Club activities .
Facebook : Joburg10K / Durban10k / Ctown12 / PUMASouthAfrica Instagram : @ Joburg10K / @ Durban10k / @ capetown _ 12 / @ PUMARunning Hashtag : # RUNPUMA # RunYourCity
For further information on the RYC Series visit https :// runyourcityseries . com or email entries @ joburg10k . com , entries @ durban10k . com , or entries @ thecapetown12 . com .
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