World’s best take on Durban race challenge

WORLD Championship 10 000m silver medallist, Joshua Cheptegei, and Steven Mokoka, the SA 10km record holder, are the headline acts in the inaugural FNB Durban 10K CITYRSURFRUN which takes place on Sunday, 8 October.

The announcement made on Tuesday, 5 September confirms the organiser’s desire to make this race the fastest 10km in the world this year.

Currently the best time set in 2017 is 27:18 behind Bernard Kimeli of Kenya.

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“We believe South Africa deserves to see the world’s best compete on our soil, racing against South Africa’s best.”

“Having the best athletes in the world competing in South Africa raises the level of competition for our athletes. This, in turn, raises the performance of our South African athletes. When these athletes line up in international races, they can do so with confidence. It is a win-win situation. Our athlete’s standards improve and South Africa gets to see the world’s best live,” said Michael Meyer, managing director of Stillwater Sports.

With a fast and flat course starting in front of Moses Mabhida Stadium and finishing in the Beachfront Precinct adjacent to the Moses Mabhida Stadium, the organisers have pulled out all the stops to ensure a fast race in Durban on 8 October.

Speaking from Kampala (Uganda), Cheptegei is looking forward to racing in Durban: “Durban, I will see you on 8 October. I am looking forward to this and want to run a very fast time. It is a great honour for me to be invited to this race and I will do my best to make sure it is all everyone expects.”

Stephen Mokoka relishes the opportunity to race the best in the world on home soil.

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“We need to show South African’s how good we are. To be able to do that at home is very important. It helps grow the sport by encouraging more people to run and also inspires our youngsters to believe that they can compete with the best.”

Mokoka announced that he will be chasing his own SA Record of 27:38.

“When we race against these athletes at home, we must put on a show. The course is flat. With athletes like Joshua Cheptegei in the field, it will be fast. I think that I can break my own SA Record.” That record was set in Manchester in 2015, when Mokoka finished third at the Great Manchester Run.

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