SA’S newly crowned 10km Record Holder, Precious Mashele with a time of 27:35 set barely a month ago at the inaugural Absa RUN YOUR CITY GQEBERHA 10K, will line up as the race favourite at the Absa RUN YOUR CITY CAPE TOWN 10K on Sunday 14 May.
Running in the colours of Boxer Athletics Club and PUMA South Africa, Mashele is hot property after his incredible showing in ‘The Friendly City’. Mashele was fast closing down early race leader, Daniel Ebenyo (Kenya) in the closing stages of the race and was able to take 3 seconds off the SA 10km Record set by Stephen Mokoka in Manchester, 2015.
Mashele crossed the line in 27:35, some 14sec behind Ebenyo after trailing the Kenyan by 20sec at halfway. By breaking the record, Mashele has established himself as one of the best distance runners that South Africa has ever produced.
“It is gratifying to see Precious use the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series to improve his performance and ultimately become the fastest ever South African runner over 10km. This is what we want the series to do for South African road running performances,” says Michael Meyer, Managing Director of Stillwater Sports and Founder of the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series.
The 32-year-old athlete has made no secret of the fact that he will compete at all five races in the iconic Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series in 2023 and that he is itching for a South African to take line honours. He will get his chance in Cape Town on 14 May.
Mashele claims to be in the form of his life and is immensely confident after his run in Gqeberha. “The legs have recovered, and I am looking forward to racing in Cape Town,” said Mashele. “I knew I had the SA Record in me after my run in Australia (at the World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst in February) and my training since has gone really well, so I am excited about running on Sunday 14 May.”
Joining the new SA Record Holder is Elroy Gelant, the SA 5000m Record Holder. “I’m excited about Cape Town and about what Precious did,” says Gelant. “It proves we can compete with the best. The great thing about the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series is that we get to race against the best on home soil, which makes it a lot easier for us as we do not need to travel long distances. For myself, I am looking to improve on the run that I had in Gqeberha (11th – 28:26 his second best-ever performance over 10km) and even bettering my PB (28:18).”
Both athletes are long-time supporters of the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series and ascribe much of their success to being able to compete annually in the series.
“Since its inception in Cape Town in 2015, the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series has provided SA athletes with the opportunity to compete against the World’s Best in World Class events on home soil. These athletes are now beginning to reap the rewards,” adds Meyer. “Precious’ SA Record and Personal Best in Gqeberha was a victory for South Africa and for the sport as a whole. We are proud to provide the next opportunity in Cape Town come Sunday 14 May.”
EVENT INFORMATION: Absa RUN YOUR CITY CAPE TOWN 10K
| DATE: | Sunday, 14 May 2023 |
| START VENUE: | Woodbridge Island, Milnerton |
| FINISH VENUE: | Lower Long Street opposite Absa Building |
| START TIME: | 09:00 |
| ENTRY FEE: | 1. Standard Entry: Licenced Runners R240.00
· Temp Licence: R40.00
Standard Entry Includes: · Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series Event Performance T-shirt · Absa Entrant Gifts (Peak Cap, Drawstring Bag, Socks & Shoelaces) · DHL Water Bottle · Race Number with Timing Chip · Sponsor Route Entertainment Points · Amazing Route Entertainment Points from Start to Finish · 2 x Refreshment Stations on Route · Tog Bag Drop and Collect Service · Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series Finisher’s Medal · Transport Service (to Start or from Finish) |
| 2. Gold Package: R1200.00
Gold Package Includes: · Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series Event Performance T-shirt · Absa Entrant Gifts · DHL Water Bottle · Exclusive Gold Package Gifts · Race Number with Timing Chip · Access to Pre-race VIP Area (incl. refreshments) · Preferential Start Seeding · Sponsor Route Entertainment Points · Route Entertainment Points · 2 x Refreshment Stations on Route · Tog Bag Drop and Collect Service · Access to Post-race VIP Area (incl. refreshments, massage, ablution facilities) · Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series Finisher’s Medal · Transport Service (to Start or from Finish) |
PRIZE PURSE: The Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series boasts an impressive, combined Prize Purse of R 1 560 000.00 in 2023. Each of the five events will be assigned R312 000.00 in prize money of which R252 000.00 will be allocated towards the Open Category (R126 000.00 going to Top 10 Open Men’s and R126 000.00 to Top 10 Open Women’s), and R60 000 towards Age Categories (Junior, 40 – 49, 50 – 59, 60 – 69 and 70+ Age Categories). To view the prize purse breakdown please visit https://runyourcityseries.com/
CHARITY SUPPORT: Celebrating its 8th anniversary in 2023, when entering the Absa RUN YOUR CITY CAPE TOWN 10K runners (and walkers) can support one or all five of the event’s charities: Cape of Good Hope SPCA, Cotlands, help2read, Die Burger Kinderfonds and Reach For A Dream.
Facebook: @CapeTown10k
Instagram: @CapeTown10k
Hashtag: #RunYourCity #AbsaRunYourCity
Websites: www.runyourcityseries.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 five unique events namely the Absa RUN YOUR CITY GQEBERHA 10K (launched in 2023), Absa RUN YOUR CITY CAPE TOWN 10K (launched in 2015), the Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K (launched in 2017), Absa RUN YOUR CITY TSHWANE 10K (launched in 2023) 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/
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