Gerda Steyn sets sights on Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K

Gerda Steyn sets sights on Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K
Gerda Steyn sets sights on Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K

SA Marathon record holder, Gerda Steyn has set a goal to improve on her 2019 time at the 5th annual Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K on Sunday 10 July 2022.

“I just want to run fast and run faster than in Durban in 2019.” The words of the Queen of South African Road Running, Gerda Steyn, as she prepares for the Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K on 10 July. Steyn is a popular athlete both in South Africa and abroad, receiving several invitations to some of the biggest races in the World.

“It is a great honor to have Gerda (Steyn) choose to race in Durban at the Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K on 10 July,” says Michael Meyer, Managing Director of Stillwater Sports and Founder of the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series. “Gerda is one of SA’s most popular runners and does get invited to many of the worlds bigger, high-profile races, so for her to choose to race in the Series is a great honor and shows just how important the Series is to both international and South African athletes alike. We are both excited and proud to welcome Gerda to the start line ready to #RunForDurban.”

It was Steyn who eventually broke the SA Marathon Record of 2:26.35 of Colleen de Reuck that had stood since 1996. Steyn achieved the feat when she ran 2:25.28 in April 2021 at the Sienna Marathon in Italy and with that cemented her position in the South Africa Squad to compete at the Olympic Marathon in which she finished 15th. Steyn has also run the fastest marathon on South African soil, clocking 2:26.25 in Cape Town in 2021.

Of course, she is also known as the Queen of the Ultra’s holding both the record for the Up Run of the Comrades Marathon, becoming the only female athlete to break six hours, and the Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon. Steyn in 2022 broke the 33-year-old course record set by the legendary Frith van der Merwe. But as much as she is lauded for her Marathon and Ultra performances, Steyn is also a fierce competitor over the shorter distances. In 2020, Steyn ran 15:45 for 5km to become the 4th fastest South African over the distance. Only Elana Meyer, Colleen de Reuck and Dominique Scott-Efurd have gone faster.

Her 32:24 for 10km is the 7th fastest time in South Africa. So, while she is well known for the longer distances, do not write her off over the shorter distances. In 2019 at the Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K, Steyn clocked 33:22. Earlier this year in Manchester, she was 10th at the Great Manchester Run, clocking 33:42. Steyn has her sights set on bettering her time in Durban of 33:22 and looks at going sub-33. I know the Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K is a fast course and that the best women in South Africa and some top internationals will be running, so I will need to be at my best if I want to be competitive in Durban.”

Ethiopian Mahlet Alemu Mulugeta returns to the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series:

Ethiopia’s Mahlet Alemu Mulugeta, who ran 31:47, a personal best by 58seconds in only her second outing over 10km at the Absa RUN YOUR CITY CAPE TOWN 10K, will be coming back to South African shores for the second instalment of the Series, the Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K on July 10.

Mulugeta moved from the track to the roads in 2022 and ran her first 10km in Valencia in January, clocking 32:45 on debut to finish 9th in the race. Her second outing was the incredibly fast Absa RUN YOUR CITY CAPE TOWN 10K where both Stella Chesang and Jesca Chelangat dipped under the SA Allcomers Record of 30:55 run by Sheila Chepkirui at the Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K in 2019. Chesang clocking 30:40 and Chelangat 30:48 and the top six women all broke 32 minutes. Mulugeta was 5th with her 31:47, a 58sec improvement of her previous best.

The 27-year-old started her career as a track athlete in the 400m and represented Ethiopia at the 2013 Africa Championships in the 400m having won the Junior National Title over the distance in 2012. A move to the 800m in 2014 saw her make the Team to the World Championships in 2007. A best of 1:59.84 in the 800m (2018) and 4.10.71 over 1500m (2019) means she may well have found her niche in the 10km. Her time in Cape Town ranks her in the top 50 in the world this year, and she is only getting started.

EVENT INFORMATION:  Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K 

Date: Sunday 10 July 2022
Entry Fee: Standard (Licensed): R235.00

Gold Package (Licensed): R900.00

Temporary Licence: R50.00

 

ENTER at RACE PACK COLLECTION:

 

Venue: The Globe, Sun Coast

Date and Time:

  • Thursday, 07 July 2022: 09:00 – 19:00
  • Friday, 08 July 2022: 09:00 – 19:00
  • Saturday, 09 July 2022: 09:00 – 14:00

 

Charity Support: When entering the Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K online entrants can choose to support five local charities:  1. LIV Village, 2. TREE (Training and Resources in Early Education), 3. Durban & Coast SPCA, 4. iThemba Lethu and Reach For A Dream Foundation (RFAD).

 

WIN a Chery Tiggo 4 Pro Urban at the Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K: All runners (and walkers) that enter the 2022 Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K will stand a chance to win a stunning Chery Tiggo 4 Pro Urban vehicle on event day. To be in the running to win the vehicle you must enter the event, collect your race number and be on the start line.

 

#RunForDurban Campaign: Durban has been hard hit not only by the pandemic, but by riots and now severe flooding. Headline partners, Absa, PUMA, DHL, as well as the event itself have each committed to giving back R1 for every 1km run and/or walked at the 2022 Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K on Sunday 10 July. Just by entering the Durban event, each runner and/or walker will ensure that R40 is donated towards those that have been affected by the floods. The funds raised will be used to purchase non-perishable food items, shoes, clothing and blankets.

 

Exciting Time-Based Incentive Scheme: Stillwater Sports, the organisers of Africa’s leading road running series, the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series, have announced an exciting time-based incentive scheme that will reward SA’s elite runners on a sliding-scale at the Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K on Sunday 10 July 2022. To view the complete SA Elite Athlete Incentive breakdown, please visit https://bit.ly/2022D10KEliteAthleteIncentives

 

2022 Prize Purse Breakdown: To view the 2022 Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K Prize Purse breakdown, visit https://bit.ly/2022RYCPrizePurseBreakdown

 

Facebook: @Durban10k

Instagram: @Durban10k

Hashtag:  #RunForDurban #RunYourCity #AbsaRunYourCity

Websites:  www.durban10k.com

 

About Absa

Absa Group is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and is one of Africa’s largest diversified financial services groups. 

 

Absa Group offers an integrated set of products and services across personal and business banking, corporate and investment banking, wealth and investment management and insurance.  

 

Absa operates in fourteen countries. The Group owns majority stakes in banks in Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania (Absa Bank Tanzania and National Bank of Commerce), Uganda and Zambia and has insurance operations in Botswana, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zambia. Absa also has representative offices in Namibia and Nigeria, and securities entities in the United Kingdom and the United States.

For further information about Absa Group Limited, please visit www.absa.africa

About the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series 

A proudly South African mass participation road running series, the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series has been revolutionizing the sport since 2015.  A road running celebration like no other, the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series comprises three unique events namely the Absa RUN YOUR CITY CAPE TOWN 10K (launched in 2015), the Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K (launched in 2017) and the Absa RUN YOUR CITY JOBURG 10K (launched in 2016).

A diverse road running series, the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series integrates businesses, families, investment in community, world class achievement and fun for all participants.

 

For further information please visit https://runyourcityseries.com/