After making a strong impression on the South African road running scene with a runner-up finish at the 2024 Absa RUN YOUR CITY TSHWANE 10K, followed by a commanding victory at the Absa RUN YOUR CITY JOBURG 10K, Gideon Kipngetich is eager to kick off his 2025 campaign. The talented Kenyan will line up at the Absa RUN YOUR CITY GQEBERHA 10K on Sunday, 13 April, with his sights set on building on last year’s success.

“My 2025 season is good so far. My training is going well,” Kipngetich shared this while discussing his preparations for the Absa RUN YOUR CITY GQEBERHA 10K, a race that will feature an SA 10km record attempt by Adriaan Wildschutt, the current South African 10 000m record holder with a time of 26:50.64.

The sold-out race in ‘The Friendly City’ will be a first race at sea level for the East African top runner who outfoxed the likes of Elroy Gelant and Kabelo Mulaudzi when he ran a lifetime best 28:42 to finish second behind Lesotho’s Kamohelo Mofolo on a hilly route at altitude in Tshwane last August. Kipngetich is relishing the opportunity to perform on the fast and flat Absa RUN YOUR CITY GQEBERHA 10K route which produced Precious Mashele’s national record of 27:35 in 2023.

“I enjoyed myself in Tshwane and Joburg, especially see all the runners who came out to support the event. I think I will do well at sea level. My target is to run 27 minutes at least and finish on top!” confirms Kipngetich.

Melikhaya Frans, a South African World Championships marathoner and prolific 28-minute 10km runner, also can’t wait to test himself against world class athletes in front of his home crowd at the Absa RUN YOUR CITY GQEBERHA 10K on Sunday 13 April.

“What I love about the Absa RUN YOUR CITY SERIES is that it brings the best runners to our doorstep and brings the red vibe to the City,” explained Frans, a local hero from Gqeberha.

“Training has been going well, although I have not raced hard for a while because I had a small niggle about five weeks ago. But I’m fully recovered now, and I will be very happy with a sub-28:30,” said the 2022 SA half marathon champion reflecting on his preparations towards a marathon later on in the season.

Also targeting a podium finish is Kipngetich’s compatriot Mercy Jebet Korir. Running in her first race on South African soil on Sunday 6 April, Korir won the demanding Totalsports Two Oceans Half Marathon in 1:17:06 which was almost two minutes clear of second place Nthabiseng Letokoto of Lesotho.

Speaking moments after that maiden victory on SA soil, Mercy Jebet Korir boldly declared her intentions for her Absa RUN YOUR CITY SERIES debut on Sunday 13 April, “I want to win. Definitely. My aim is to win!”

“We are proud to welcome Kenyan athlete Gideon Kipngetich back to the Absa RUN YOUR CITY SERIES in 2025 – this time at the season opener, the Absa RUN YOUR CITY GQEBERHA 10K,” says Michael Meyer, Managing Director of Stillwater Sports and Series Founder. “Kipngetich has proven himself to be a formidable force and is certainly one to watch on race day. Melikhaya Frans remains a proud ambassador for South African road running, and an Absa RUN YOUR CITY SERIES race in Gqeberha simply wouldn’t be the same without him on the start line.

We’re also excited to welcome Mercy Jebet Korir, who will be making both her 10km and Absa RUN YOUR CITY SERIES debut. She delivered an outstanding performance at the Two Oceans Half Marathon, and we’re eager to see how she transitions to the 10km distance. These talented athletes join an already impressive line-up in Gqeberha. Together, they set the stage for an exciting start to the 2025 series.”

EVENT DATES: 2025 Absa RUN YOUR CITY SERIES

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.

Prize Purse: The Absa RUN YOUR CITY SERIES boasts an impressive, 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.”

South African Athlete Incentives: The Absa RUN YOUR CITY SERIES also has an unprecedented “SA Athlete Prize Incentive Schedule” for 2025. Applying to all five races, the incentive schedule 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 is important to note that the R50 000.00 will be awarded to the fastest time.

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/