Former South African track stars LJ van Zyl and Johan Cronje are set to swop the track for the road when they bring their friendly rivalry home to the Absa RUN YOUR CITY MANGAUNG 10K on Sunday, 25 October 2026.
Both originally from Bloemfontein, the retired elite athletes will go head-to-head over 10km in what promises to be a fun-filled reunion, with bragging rights firmly on the line when the starting gun fires in the city they once called home.
With three Olympic Games, a Commonwealth Games title, a World Championship bronze medal, and the South African 400m hurdles record among the highlights of his illustrious career, LJ van Zyl brings an impressive pedigree to the Absa RUN YOUR CITY MANGAUNG 10K. Currently a lecturer at the University of Pretoria, van Zyl admits that Bloemfontein will always be very special to him.
“I spent important years of my schooling and athletics development at Grey College, and this is really where my athletics career started taking shape,” admits van Zyl. “Coming back to race the inaugural Absa RUN YOUR CITY MANGAUNG 10K feels a little like coming full circle. I have many great memories here, so it will be special to experience the city again, this time as a road runner rather than a 400m hurdler.
“It is definitely a very different challenge! In the 400m hurdles, everything was over in less than 50 seconds; now I have to keep going for more than 40 minutes,” he laughs. “My 10km PB is 42:07, so I know roughly what I’m in for. I’m expecting it to hurt, just in a very different way. I’m competitive by nature, though, so once the gun goes, I know I’ll want to race and hopefully get close to, or even improve on, that PB. Naturally, I would love to improve on that in Mangaung.”
Van Zyl is looking forward to turning the tables on Cronje.
“Johan and I go back a long way as Olympians, so there will definitely be some friendly rivalry. On paper, I probably shouldn’t be challenging a former 1500m World Championship medallist over 10km, but I’ll remind him that we’re both a long way from 1500m by then! I’m sure there will be plenty of banter before, during and especially after the race.”
On a sprint finish, van Zyl had the following to say: “If Johan and I are still together with 1km (or 400m) to go, then absolutely, the old 400m hurdler in me will start thinking about the finish! The problem is that Johan has a pretty decent kick himself. My plan might be to make him work hard enough over the first 9km that there’s nothing left in those 1500m legs. If we hit the final straight together, though, there’s no chance I’m letting him have it without a fight!”
Having grown up in Bloemfontein, Cronje is particularly excited to see the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series bring its unique blend of elite competition and mass participation to Mangaung:
“Congratulations on the foresight to bring the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series to Mangaung,” says Cronje. “It’s actually been lacking for such a long time. Local athletes now have the opportunity to partake in the sport that they love at home, without having to travel like in the past. Whether they win or lose, they will rub shoulders with the best in the discipline. Just that experience already shifts your mind to where you can go.”
Not one to back away from a challenge, Cronje, who is also a World Championship bronze medalist, is relishing the opportunity to race LJ van Zyl at home at the inaugural Absa RUN YOUR CITY MANGAUNG 10K.
“For endurance athletes it comes naturally, for a sprinter it’s not that easy,” teases Cronje. “LJ needs to work a little bit harder. He’s maybe a little heavier than we are. He has different muscle fibres, and that counts against him.”
EVENT DATES: 2026 Absa RUN YOUR CITY MANGAUNG 10K
| Date: | Sunday, 25 October 2026 |
| Start Time: | 07:00 |
| Start Line: | Sir George Grey Street exit of Grey College |
| Finish Line: | Kings Way (Bloemfontein) |
| Entry Fee: | Entry Fee: R 255 (Licensed Runner) Temp License Fee: R70 |
| Entry Fee Includes: | Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series Event Performance T-shirt Absa Drawstring Bag Absa Peak Cap Absa Socks Race Number & Timing Chip Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series Finisher’s Medal Major Sponsor Activations Route Entertainment Points 3 x Refreshment stations on route Tog Bag Drop and Collect Service Post Event Entertainment |
| Entries Open: | Saturday 01 August 2026 |
| Entries Close: | Thursday 08 October 2026 or once capacity has been reached |
Facebook: @Gqeberha10k / @CapeTown10k / @Durban10k / @Tshwane10k / @Joburg10k / @Mangaung 10K
Instagram: @Gqeberha10k / @CapeTown10k / @Durban10k / @Tshwane10k / @Joburg10k / @Mangaung10k
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 now comprises six 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), the Absa RUN YOUR CITY JOBURG 10K (launched in 2016) and the Absa RUN YOUR CITY MANGAUNG 10K (launched in 2026). 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/