Elite South African road runner Precious Mashele will next month return to Nelson Mandela Bay where he broke Stephen Mokoka's eight-year national 10km record at the Absa Run Your City Gqeberha race in 2023.
Mashele came second in 27 minutes and 35 minutes last year, shaving four seconds off Mokoka's time of 27: 38, set in 2015.
Kenya’s Daniel Ebenyo took first place, crossing in 27:23, while Gqeberha's Thabang Mosiako finished third, breaking the EP Athletics 10km record.
The 33-year-old Boxer Running Club runner is excited to be coming back to take on the event again in Summerstrand on April 7.
And he plans to go even faster this year.
“My body is in good shape,” Mashele said.
“I would like to thank the race director Stillwater Sport for giving us athletes the opportunity to race again. Mashele said.
“For us, these races he us to run fast times, so I am very happy to participate in the race again.
“I am looking forward to running my personal best times.
“I loved the atmosphere of the Absa Run Your City Gqebehra 10km series, there are a lot of top runners and then there are the social runners who encourage us.
“I also have good memories in Gqeberha last year I broke the national record there.”
Mashele prepares to qualify for his second consecutive Olympic Games appearance in Paris later this year.
However, Mashele will also go into the race wary of Kabelo Mulaudzi, who is looking to break his record in his debut in the Gqeberha edition.
After taking second place at the ASA 10km Championships on Sunday, Mulaudzi has confirmed that he too will be in the Bay on April 7.
On the back of a breakthrough 2023 season which saw him run a maiden sub-28-minute clocking to win the Durban leg in July, Mulaudzi is in demand but says the series remains his main focus in 2024.
“My plan is to focus on the Absa Run Your City Series. If I manage to qualify for the Olympic Games that will be a bonus for me. I don’t want to confuse my season — my main priority is to do well in these Absa races.”
The last time that Mulaudzi and Mashele faced off in a 10km road race was during the Tshwane leg in August where the younger Mulaudzi triumphed over his friend and rival by just two seconds in a sprint finish.
However, this time around, Mulaudzi is less focused on his competitors than he is on the stopwatch and taking advantage of the SA Athlete Prize Incentive Scheme, which rewards athletes with anything from R60,000 to R200,000 depending on how fast they can run.
“Our standard of 10km running is improving. The bonuses that the series race organisers have announced for SA runners are a motivation for us to work harder and run faster.
“I think we can run 27 minutes again. My plan though is to improve on my personal best of 27:56 and if I can run the SA record it would be a bonus,” Mulaudzi said. — Additional reporting by Newsport Media
HeraldLIVE
Mashele confirms return to Run Your City Gqeberha 10km
Image: Tobias Ginsberg
Elite South African road runner Precious Mashele will next month return to Nelson Mandela Bay where he broke Stephen Mokoka's eight-year national 10km record at the Absa Run Your City Gqeberha race in 2023.
Mashele came second in 27 minutes and 35 minutes last year, shaving four seconds off Mokoka's time of 27: 38, set in 2015.
Kenya’s Daniel Ebenyo took first place, crossing in 27:23, while Gqeberha's Thabang Mosiako finished third, breaking the EP Athletics 10km record.
The 33-year-old Boxer Running Club runner is excited to be coming back to take on the event again in Summerstrand on April 7.
And he plans to go even faster this year.
“My body is in good shape,” Mashele said.
“I would like to thank the race director Stillwater Sport for giving us athletes the opportunity to race again. Mashele said.
“For us, these races he us to run fast times, so I am very happy to participate in the race again.
“I am looking forward to running my personal best times.
“I loved the atmosphere of the Absa Run Your City Gqebehra 10km series, there are a lot of top runners and then there are the social runners who encourage us.
“I also have good memories in Gqeberha last year I broke the national record there.”
Mashele prepares to qualify for his second consecutive Olympic Games appearance in Paris later this year.
However, Mashele will also go into the race wary of Kabelo Mulaudzi, who is looking to break his record in his debut in the Gqeberha edition.
After taking second place at the ASA 10km Championships on Sunday, Mulaudzi has confirmed that he too will be in the Bay on April 7.
On the back of a breakthrough 2023 season which saw him run a maiden sub-28-minute clocking to win the Durban leg in July, Mulaudzi is in demand but says the series remains his main focus in 2024.
“My plan is to focus on the Absa Run Your City Series. If I manage to qualify for the Olympic Games that will be a bonus for me. I don’t want to confuse my season — my main priority is to do well in these Absa races.”
The last time that Mulaudzi and Mashele faced off in a 10km road race was during the Tshwane leg in August where the younger Mulaudzi triumphed over his friend and rival by just two seconds in a sprint finish.
However, this time around, Mulaudzi is less focused on his competitors than he is on the stopwatch and taking advantage of the SA Athlete Prize Incentive Scheme, which rewards athletes with anything from R60,000 to R200,000 depending on how fast they can run.
“Our standard of 10km running is improving. The bonuses that the series race organisers have announced for SA runners are a motivation for us to work harder and run faster.
“I think we can run 27 minutes again. My plan though is to improve on my personal best of 27:56 and if I can run the SA record it would be a bonus,” Mulaudzi said. — Additional reporting by Newsport Media
HeraldLIVE
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Latest Videos
Most Read
Soccer
Sport
Sport
Pages
Rugby