Staff Reporter.
South African long-distance runner Precious Mashele has welcomed the news that both the Absa DURBAN 10K CITYRUN (Sunday 31 October) and Absa CAPE TOWN 12K CITYRUN (Sunday 21 November) will be actual events in 2021.
Mashele has his sights set on making an impact in both races, with the first being the Absa DURBAN 10K CITYRUN on 31 October, which incorporates the ASA 10km Championships, a title Mashele has won the last two times the championships were held (2018/19).
“I am excited for Durban. It has been a tough year for us, so being able to race again is really good news,” said Mashele from Poland where he had just finished 4th in the Poznań Half Marathon.
Poznań was yet another milestone for Mashele, taking 24seconds off his Half Marathon best to clock 60:00. It has been quite the year for Mashele, posting lifetime bests in the 5000m (13:11.65), 10 000m (27:55.87) and now in the Half Marathon (previous best 60:24 run at the World Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia, Poland in 2020). Mashele also won his first ASA Half Marathon title in May this year to add to the ASA 5 000m crown he defended from 2019.
Having to chase opportunities, Mashele was able to qualify for the Olympic Games in the 5000m, an experience he freely admits was extraordinary. “It was strange with all the testing and security measures; a very weird Olympic experience and the competition was on another level. I learned much in Tokyo and used that in Poland and will use that for the Absa DURBAN 10K CITYRUN on 31 October.”
Mashele is looking to win the prestigious race for the first time in his career, having placed 4th in 2019 with his Personal Best of 28:26. “The Absa DURBAN 10K CITYRUN is a big race, a prestigious race, so for me to win that will be a big feather in my cap.” Should Mashele emerge triumphant, then this would be his third successive 10km national title on the trot.
Mashele will be up against some stiff opposition. Training partner, Desmond Mokgubu who was also in Tokyo for the Olympics, but for the marathon, has also confirmed he will be in Durban as well a resurgent Ryan Mphahlele.
Mphalele took the South African running community by storm when he raced Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei to the final 400m of the 3000m in the Grand Prix Race in Tshwane on 8 March 2018. Cheptegei would go on to be crowned 5000m and 10 000m Commonwealth Games Champion and break the 15km World Record and has subsequently added World Cross Country, World 10 000m and Olympic 5 000m titles to his name.
Mphalele picked up an injury in 2019 and has only of recent come back to the form he showed in 2018 when he won the ASA 4km Cross Country title. Mphalele won that very same title again this year, beating up and coming talent, Mbuleli Mathanga to the line. Mphalele has unfinished business in Durban. In 2018 at the DURBAN 10K CITYRUN he ran 28:46 for 8th in his only ever appearance on the roads.
Boasting an elite and mass race, with the incorporation of the Athletics South Africa 10km Championships, the prize money has been divided up into an event prize purse and an ASA 10km Championships prize purse. Only athletes who are entered by their respective province for the ASA 10km Championships stand to win both parts of the prize money.
The total prize purse is R253 800.00 (R155 000.00 event prize purse and R98 800.00 ASA 10km Championships prize purse).
Event Information: Absa Durban 10K Cityrun.
| Date: | Sunday 31 October 2021 |
| Start Venue: | Snell Parade (South Bound) |
| Finish Venue: | Durban Beach Front Precinct (near Bike & Bean) |
| Entry Fee: | Standard (Licenced Runner): R 225.00· Temporary Licence: R 40.00 |