South African long distance Kabelo Maluadzi put a tactical masterclass as he crosses the finish line in 27:49 to win the iconic Absa RUN YOUR CITY Cape Town 10K ( kilometre ) race in Cape Town yesterday. Picture: RAJESH JANTILAL
Image: RAJESH JANTILAL
Kabelo Mulaudzi has recovered from the injury that saw him miss the opening race of the 2026 Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series and will toe the line in the second one eager to confirm his status as the country's top athlete in the 10km distance.
The Boxer Athletic star sat out Run YOUR CITY GQEBERHA in early March but will be at the Cape Town leg on May 10, eager to shine. Mulaudzi will not be short of confidence, going into the race as national champion having won his maiden national title on the track.
“I’m very happy to have won the 10 000m title – my first on the track. I’ve never won anything on the track since I started running, so I’m very happy,” Mulaudzi - who clocked 28:52.56 at the Athletics South Africa (ASA) Senior Track and Field Championships in Stellenbosch - said.
Coming as it did on the back of an injury that saw him miss the season-opening Absa RUN YOUR CITY GQEBERHA 10K, the three-second victory over the 25 laps on the track provided the man trained by Richard Mayer with the confidence he needed to tackle the season.
Mulaudzi has a 27:41 Personal Best (PB) in the 10km and is looking to have as brilliant an Absa RUN YOUR CITY season as he did last year when he won four of the five Series races. More importantly, Mulaudzi is keen to take on the best that East Africa has to offer when the runners converge on the Mother City.
“It’s a good thing to invite the fast Kenyans because they push the pace and we’ll run fast times. My target is to finish on the podium as always. I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself though. The win will be a bonus for me because it’s not easy to defend a title. If I can run under 27:45 or a personal best I’ll be happy.”
Felix Kibet Masai is one of those fast Kenyans Mulaudzi will be up against. Masai set a personal best of 27:24 in France at the beginning of April but most importantly he won the Totalsports Two Oceans Half Marathon a week later.
Given those stellar recent achievements, it is not surprising then that he has his sights set on breaking Joshua Chetegei’s SA All Comers Record of 27:16 on his South African 10km debut.
“I’m very thankful for taking the victory at the Totalsports Two Oceans Half Marathon. I’m looking forward to the Absa RUN YOUR CITY CAPE TOWN 10K. My target is to run 27 minutes flat on the course. Some of the South African athletes I’m training with in camp told me the course is quite flat and fast, so I’m excited to test myself there,” Masai said.
The organisers are delighted that Mulaudzi is back competing in the Series
“Having Kabelo back in the field after injury, especially following his breakthrough national 10,000m title, is fantastic for the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series and for South African road running,” says Michael Meyer, Managing Director of Stillwater Sports and Series Founder. “We’re excited to see what he can produce in Cape Town. On the international side, Felix arrives in outstanding form and brings an exciting new dimension to the race. He has made no secret of his ambition to run fast on his SA 10km debut, and to test himself against the course and conditions in Cape Town."