Stillwater Sports, the organisers of South Africa’s prestigious road running series, the Absa RUN YOUR CITY SERIES, is excited to announce an impressive, combined prize purse of R1 610 000.00, along with groundbreaking SA athlete incentives set to inspire exceptional performances and remarkable achievements in 2025.
Since its inception in 2015, the Absa RUN YOUR CITY SERIES has redefined road running in South Africa, offering five mass participation road running events across five dynamic cities. The series kicks off in Gqeberha in April, followed by Cape Town in May, Durban in July and Tshwane in August, before culminating in Johannesburg in September.
“We firmly believe that an impressive prize purse not only rewards hard work but also inspires athletes to push boundaries,” says Michael Meyer, Managing Director of Stillwater Sports and Series Founder. “We are proud to announce a combined prize purse of R1 610 000.00 in 2025. Each of the five events will feature a total prize allocation of R322 000. Of this, R252 000.00 will be dedicated to the Open Category, with R126 000.00 awarded to the Top 10 Open Men and R126 000.00 to the Top 10 Open Women. The top male and female finishers in each city will receive R30 000.00 each, with R25 000.00 going to second-place finishers and R20 000.00 to third-place finishers.
Additionally, R70 000.00 will be allocated to Age Categories. The Age Category prize pool will reward the top three finishers in the Junior, 40–49, 50–59, 60–69, and 70+ age groups.”
Fantastic Athlete Incentives for 2025
In addition to the substantial combined prize purse, Stillwater Sports has unveiled an unprecedented “SA Athlete Prize Incentive Schedule” for 2025. The incentive schedule applies to all five races and offers bonuses for exceptional performances.
In the men’s category, bonuses will start for times faster than 28 minutes, with a substantial R200 000.00 bonus for breaking the 27-minute barrier. For women, bonuses begin for times faster than 32:08 minutes, with an impressive R200 000.00 incentive for breaking the 30:23 mark.
To further raise the stakes, a bonus of R50 000.00 will be awarded to the South African athlete who breaks the SA 10km record (at the time of the race). The current men’s record stands at 27:35, set by Precious Mashele at the Absa RUN YOUR CITY GQEBERHA 10K in 2023, while Glenrose Xaba holds the women’s record of 31:12, achieved at the Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K in 2024. It’s important to note that the R50 000.00 will be awarded to the fastest time.
“The standard of South African road running continues to rise at the Absa RUN YOUR CITY SERIES,” adds Meyer. “This is evident from the fact that both the current men’s and women’s 10km national records were set at the Absa RUN YOUR CITY SERIES. In 2024, we paid out an impressive total of R610 000.00 in SA Athlete Incentives—an achievement we are incredibly proud of as event organisers. Our goal is to build on this momentum by continuing to reward exceptional performances in 2025 and raising the level of competitiveness in South African middle-distance running.
Exciting New Talent for 2025
To help push these boundaries further, we’ve already begun recruiting top talent for the 2025 series. Our first major announcement came last week: global running sensation Adriaan Wildschutt, will make his series debut at the Absa RUN YOUR CITY GQEBERHA 10K on Sunday, 13 April 2025. Adriaan had us on the edge of our seats in August 2024 when he competed in the Olympic 10 000m final, where he reset his record to 26:50.64, beating his earlier record by 5 seconds and securing an impressive 10th place. The holder of four national track records, Adriaan has announced his intention to pursue the SA 10km record at the Absa RUN YOUR CITY GQEBERHA 10K.”
Meyer concludes: “Our objective is to empower South Africa’s elite athletes to build successful careers without needing to compete abroad. We are confident that these incentives will attract the country’s top talent and inspire spectacular performances across all five events in 2025.”
According to reigning SA 10km Women’s Champion Glenrose Xaba, the Absa RUN YOUR CITY SERIES’ SA Athlete Incentives provide strong motivation for local athletes to push harder. “The incentives are very important to me because they’re directly linked to performance times. The better my time, the better my chances of competing internationally. These incentives motivate me to stay at the top because the rewards are tangible. Breaking my own record would be a dream come true—I’d be the happiest woman alive,” says Xaba.
Making his Absa RUN YOUR CITY SERIES debut in 2025, Adriaan Wildschutt shares Glenrose’s sentiments regarding the SA Athlete Incentives. “The incentives are a fantastic way to motivate athletes,” says Wildschutt. “Just like when I was starting out, these kind of incentives provide crucial financial support, enabling athletes to prepare and travel for races and training. Unlike many other road races in South Africa, the Absa RUN YOUR CITY SERIES offers a broader range of incentives, which, in my opinion, sets it apart from the rest.”
To view the 2025 Prize Purse Breakdown and SA Athlete Incentive Schedule, visit https://runyourcityseries.com/
EVENT DATES: 2025 Absa RUN YOUR CITY SERIES
| Sunday 13 April 2025 | Absa RUN YOUR CITY GQEBERHA 10K |
| Sunday 11 May 2025 | Absa RUN YOUR CITY CAPE TOWN 10K |
| Sunday 13 July 2025 | Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K |
| Sunday 24 August 2025 | Absa RUN YOUR CITY TSHWANE 10K |
| Wednesday 24 September 2025 | Absa RUN YOUR CITY JOBURG 10K |
CHARITY SUPPORT: The Absa RUN YOUR CITY SERIES proudly supports the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA) as the official charity of the entire series of events. A non-profit leader in the fight against cancer since 1931, CANSA enables research, educates the public and advocates for and supports all people affected by cancer, while leading SA towards a cancer-free society. When entering an Absa RUN YOUR CITY SERIES event online, runners can show their support by donating towards CANSA.
Facebook: @Gqeberha10k / @CapeTown10k / @Durban10k / @Tshwane10k / @Joburg10k
Instagram: @Gqeberha10k / @CapeTown10k / @Durban10k / @Tshwane10k / @Joburg10k
Hashtag: #RunYourCity #AbsaRunYourCity
WhatsApp Line: 072 042 7613
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/
