Chelangat returns to Durban chasing fast time
At the 2017 FNB Durban 10K CITYSURFRUN Mercyline Chelangat shattered her best ever 10km time by just under two minutes.
DEFENDING champion, Mercyline Chelangat will have a big bullseye on her back on Sunday, 14 October 2018 when she lines up at the 2nd annual FNB Durban 10K CITYSURFRUN.
In 2017 at the age of 20 Chelangat had showed some promise as an athlete, but with the likes of the experienced Dorcas Tuitoek, Paskalia Chepkorir and Veronica Nyaruai in the line-up, Chelangat was not expected to podium, never mind win.
In the end she not only won, but also shattered her best ever 10km time by just under 2 minutes, bringing her time down from 33:17 to 31:38 in only her second ever 10km on the road.
Returning to Durban to defend her title on 14 October, Chelangat anticipates a faster time than what she raced in 2017.
“I know the course now and I think I can go faster. I have prepared very hard for this race and if conditions are good, I want to push the pace,’” said Chelangat.
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Chelangat is the latest name to be announced for the Durban race with compatriot, Joshua Cheptegei, the 2017 men’s winner, already confirmed. Cheptegei ran an All-comers record of 27:28 in Durban and Chelangat clocked the second fastest time ever on South African soil for her win.
Her 31:38 was a mere 5 seconds off the fastest time run by Elana van Zyl-Meyer and if she is looking to go faster than her best, then we could witness the fastest ever time run over 10km in South Africa.
In 2017, the initial race pace was almost suicidal as the first 2km were run in 6:02, before calming down.
With the knowledge gained from 2017 and the desire to run faster, there is no doubt that Chelangat will have a pacing strategy in mind. But if 2017 is anything to go by, then the 2018 race will certainly be a nail-biting event to watch.
Entry fee is R170 (licensed) or R190 (unlicensed) and the Gold Package entry fee is R850 (licensed) or R870 (unlicensed)
Enter online before Monday, 1 October at www.durban10k.com or instore at Totalsports by Monday, 24 September.
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