Men’s Elite Field continues to deepen at Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K

Men’s Elite Field continues to deepen at Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K
Men’s Elite Field continues to deepen at Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K

Expect fireworks at the 2022 Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K as South Africa’s best athletes, including the likes of Desmond Mokgobo, Collen Mulaudzi, Thabang Mosiako, Reghen Magwai, Sibusiso Nzima and Precious Mashele to mention just a few, descend on eThekweni on Sunday 10 July ready to #RunForDurban. Not only have the organisers offered huge incentives for fast times, but all indications are that South Africa’s best are getting better.

“We are excited to see how South Africa’s best athletes are rising to the occasion at the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series. In Cape Town in May this year we had three South Africans who finished in the top ten running personal bests and in Durban in October last year, seven of the top ten men ran their best times ever over 10km. It shows how the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series, with the incentives on offer, fast and flat courses, and exciting race atmosphere is making a difference in South African road running,” said Michael Meyer, Managing Director of Stillwater Sports and Founder of the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series.

Seven athletes in the men’s top ten, hit their PB’s at the Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K in October 2021. Three of the top ten men in Cape Town improved on their Personal Bests. The athletes are getting better, as the courses provided by the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series get faster.

The next leg of the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series is in Durban on 10 July and of the seven who set their Personal Bests in 2021, five will be back. Spearheading the charge is the defending champion Precious Mashele who will be out to defend his title and look to improve on the 28:11 Personal Best he clocked in Durban in 2021. Back to are Collen Mulaudzi (3rd in 2021 with a time of 28:26), Reghen Magwai (4th in 2021 – 28:29), 5th placed Maxime Chaumeton (28:30) who had done most of the hard work up front in the 2021 race and shown how aggressive a runner he is, and 10th place finisher, Nicholas Seoposengwe (28:56).

Mashele missed the Absa RUN YOUR CITY CAPE TOWN 10K due to illness but is now healthy and hungry to defend his title, especially with the introduction of amongst others, Uganda’s Abel Sikowo, a 27:58 athlete. Magwai in particular will be worth noticing after finishing 8th in Absa RUN YOUR CITY CAPE TOWN 10K in 28:40, this after some heavy mileage training following his 5th place at the SA Championships in the 10 000m in April. Magwai was only 11sec off his lifetime best. Maxime Chaumeton literally set the pace for the pack in the Durban leg of the Series in 2021 and at one stage had the bunch on a sub 28min pace. His aggressive front running nature will be sure to keep the pace honest. This will be his first outing on the road in 2022 and after his second-place finish at the SA Championships in the 5000m in April, the youngster who trains with Hendrick Ramaala and Precious Mashele at Zoo Lake will be in the mix to disrupt the form books.

Seven-time South African representative, Sibusiso Nzima, is quietly making his presence felt after years in the doldrums due to injury and illness. A fully fit Nzima can upset the form book. At the recent SA Half Marathon Championships, Nzima set the pace from just before the 10k mark to just after 15km. While he did fade in the closing stages of the race (the last kilometre), Nzima took seven seconds off his PB and was able to dip under 62min for the Half Marathon for the first time since 2016 (61:38). “I am excited about Durban. The last few years have been a real struggle for me with injury and getting sick. But now I have a solid block of training behind me, I am injury free, and I am excited about Durban. My best 10km is 28:29 and I know that in Durban that can go. That is in fact the objective,” said Nzima.

The 35-year-old has every reason to be excited. His 28:59 at the Absa RUN YOUR CITY CAPE TOWN 10K this year is his best time over the distance since 2017. Both his Half Marathon and 10km times came off no speed training, only months of easy work to get his base back to 2016 levels. For the Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K, Nzima is doing speed work. His opposition will have taken notice of his form and hunger at the SA Half Marathon Championships and will be keeping a wary eye out for him come race day.

 

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/