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Kabelo smashes Absa RYC Joburg 10K record

Adnaan MohamedNews, RacingLeave a Comment on Kabelo smashes Absa RYC Joburg 10K record

By Adnaan Mohamed

Kabelo Mulaudzi turned Johannesburg’s Heritage Day streets into his stage, storming to a course-record victory at the Absa RUN YOUR CITY JOBURG 10K on Wednesday.

The 27-year-old from the Boxer Athletic Club made history by claiming his fourth straight win in the 2025 series becoming the first runner to achieve this feat since the launch of the series in 2015.

Like a seasoned tactician, Mulaudzi bided his time in the pack before unleashing a late surge down Rahima Moosa Street, raising four fingers skyward as he crossed Mary Fitzgerald Square in triumph.

He clocked a blistering 28 minutes and 39 seconds. Tanzanian Emanuel Dinday chased hard but finished seven seconds adrift in 28:45, while Mulaudzi’s Boxer teammate Bennett Seloyi (28:51) grabbed a career-first podium in third.

“The race was tactical,” admitted Mulaudzi, who eclipsed the old course best by 12 seconds.

He managed to beat Kenyan Gideon Kipngetich 28:51 course record set last year in Joburg.

“Facing athletes of the calibre of Precious Mashele, Thabang Mosiako, Stephen Mokoka and Elroy Gelant was intimidating, but I focused on my race. This has been the best season of my life with four wins in a row, and breaking 28 minutes three times. I’m so grateful to my coach, my club, and my family.”

Elite Men on route at Absa RUN YOUR CITY JOBURG 10K by Tobias Ginsberg

Coach Richard Mayer hailed the series as a springboard for South Africa’s best.

“If it was not for the Absa RUN YOUR CITY races, athletes like Kabelo would need to go overseas for opportunities. This platform is priceless,” he said.

“I’m so glad for him because he is meticulous in his preparation and works extremely hard. He is boy from down the road in Alexandra so it’s great for him to finally get a victory in his hometown.”

In the women’s contest, Karabo Mailula found her golden moment, sprinting clear to claim her maiden women’s title in 33:34.

Karabo Mailula Photo: Tobias Ginsburg.

The 23-year-old Tuks athlete struck early, peeling away from the field after the second kilometre and stretching her lead with every stride. She coasted home more than a minute clear of Kenya’s Florence Nyaingiri (35:17), with Zimbabwean veteran Rutendo Nyahora (36:35) in third.

“It’s always been my dream to win here,” said a jubilant Mailula.

“I knew the course, I trained harder, and today it paid off. I’m grateful to God for this victory.”

With 14,400 runners flooding the streets of the City of Gold in a sea of red, the race became a fitting spectacle and celebration on Heritage Day.

“What better way to mark Heritage Day than with this electric finale to another brilliant season,” said Stillwater Sports founder Michael Meyer.

Absa’s Jabulile Nsibanyoni echoed the sentiment:

“Every runner had their own reason for lacing up today, and together they made it unforgettable. The stories and spirit were as inspiring as the champions themselves.”

RESULTS: 2025 Absa RUN YOUR CITY JOBURG 10K

Date: Wednesday 24 September 2025

Start Time: 08:00

Start Venue: Lilian Ngoyi Street

Finish Venue: Rahima Moosa Street

ELITE MEN

1 Kabelo Mulaudzi (South Africa) 28:39, 2 Emanuel Dinday (Tanzania) 28:45, 3 Bennett Seloyi (South Africa) 28:51, 4 Aklilu Asfaw (Ethiopia) 28:54, 5 Benjamin Ratsim (Tanzania) 28:55, 6 Thabang Mosiako (South Africa) 29:05, 7 Namakoe Nkhasi (Lesotho) 29:12, 8 Stephen Mokoka (South Africa) 29:14, 9 Joseph Seutloali (Lesotho) 29:16, 10 Elroy Gelant (South Africa) 29:19

ELITE WOMEN1 Karabo Mailula (South Africa) 33:44, 2 Florence Nyaingiri (Kenya) 35:17, 3 Rutendo Nyahora (Zimbabwe) 36:35, 4 Naomy Jerono (Kenya) 36:43, 5 Elizabeth Hutamo (South Africa) 36:45, 6 Samantha Coetzer (South Afirca) 36:55, 7 Cacisile Sosibo (South Africa) 37:08, 8 Evas Nasasira (Uganda) 37:21, 9 Violet Mogano (South Africa) 37:38, 10 Elizabeth Chemweno (Kenya) 37:56

GET YOUR FULL ABSA RUN YOUR CITY JOBURG RESULTS HERE:

Hollywood Durban 10km Set for Clash of Generations

Adnaan MohamedNewsLeave a Comment on Hollywood Durban 10km Set for Clash of Generations

By Adnaan Mohamed

Stephen Mokoka arrives at the Hollywoodbets Durban 10km not as a man winding down, but as a statesman of South African road running … still racing, still teaching. At 40, with four Olympic Games, multiple World Championships, and five Shanghai Marathon victories behind him, the long-distance legend is not here for farewells. Instead, he’s at Kingsmead Stadium to test himself against the next wave, while offering them a warning.

Hollywood 10K Male Contenders Photo: George Sithole

“Many youngsters are racing too often and training too hard,” Mokoka cautioned at the pre-race press conference.

“That leads to muscle strain and long-term injuries. If you’re supposed to get 20 to 30 years out of your legs, you can cut that down to just five. You may be the best now, but once your body breaks down, people forget you quickly.”

It was advice delivered with the kind of gravity only a two-decade career can lend. Mokoka knows the traps: the lure of prize money, the rush of early success, the temptation to burn too brightly.

“Race less, stay healthy, and you’ll last longer,” he added.

“Money will always run faster than you, let the banks keep it safe. Your health and longevity matter more.”

The timing of his message is pointed. Saturday’s Durban 10km has sold out with a record 12 000 entries and boasts the richest prize purse in the country for the distance: R357 500., with the men’s and women’s winners each pocketing R37,500.

Ambition will be in the air, but Mokoka insists he’s not just there to preach. He wants a top-10 finish, still hungry to prove that his legs, though seasoned, are far from finished.

Kavanagh Chasing the Pace

Hollywood 10K Female Contenders Photo: George Sithole

If Mokoka embodies endurance, Taylor Kavanagh is South Africa’s rising flame. At 23, the Hollywood Athletics Club runner has already carved her place among the nation’s best. She showed her class by winning the Durban International 10km earlier this year, clocking a sub-32-minute at the Totalsports Women’s 10km, and taking victory in Pietermaritzburg’s Spar 10km.

Now she lines up on home streets with her eyes on a lifetime best. With Glenrose Xaba, the national record-holder at 31:12, headlining the women’s field, Kavanagh knows the opportunity is real.

“Since this is a home race, I’m more excited than pressured,” said Kavanagh .

“I know Glenrose is targeting another national record, and that kind of pace will definitely pull the rest of us to faster times. She’s in terrific form. When you run with someone like that, you brace yourself for a PB or at least a really fast run.”

Her personal best of 31:53 already places her among the elite, but Kavanagh believes progress comes through collective effort.

“Women’s running in South Africa is growing rapidly,” she said. “The more we work together, the more we can achieve. Running with Neheng [Khatala] to break that sub-32 barrier was special. It shows that when women push each other, great things happen.”

The women’s race promises fireworks: Kavanagh’s teammate and defending champion Neheng Khatala returns, while Boxer Running Club’s Karabo Mailula and Karabo More will press the pace. For Kavanagh, the challenge is not only to keep up, but to thrive.

The Passing of Torches

When the starter’s gun fires at 7:30am, the Durban 10km will be a clash of philosophies: Mokoka’s seasoned voice urging patience, preservation, and the long game, against Kavanagh’s youthful surge, chasing personal bests and fresh milestones.

For some, the prize purse will be the target; for others, it’s about personal markers. But in the larger story of South African road running, Saturday represents something deeper. It’s about the the endurance of careers, the rise of new stars, and the eternal chase against time itself.

The race will be broadcast live on SABC, bringing the spirit of the Purple Team to South African homes.

Next stop after Durban is Joburg on Saturday, 13 September.