Mulaudzi and Xaba dominate at the Absa RUN YOUR CITY CAPE TOWN 10K

Image: Mark Sampson

Kabelo Mulaudzi produced the finest performance of his career to date, dominating a strong field to claim victory at the Absa RUN YOUR CITY CAPE TOWN 10K on Sunday, 11 May, with a sensational new personal best of 27:49. Glenrose Xaba was unstoppable in the women’s race, powering to victory in a superb time of 32:00.

Mulaudzi  improved on his previous 10km best time by four seconds in what was his first Absa RUN YOUR CITY SERIES victory since 2023. 

“I last won an Absa RUN YOUR CITY SEREIS race in 2023, so to finally win one again is the best feeling ever. I'm very happy with my performance today. In Gqeberha, I wanted to run a personal best time but it didn’t happen and I ended up doing it today,” explained the man affectionately known as ’Mr. Podium'. 

The 27-year-old controlled the race from the gun and then picked up the pace in the second half to cross the finish line first followed by Lesotho’s Kamehelo Mofolo - who ran 27:53 which was just one second behind Namakoe Nkhasi’s national record. 40-year-old Stephen Mokoka rounded out the top three in a season’s best as the top ten men all dipped under 28:30. 

“The plan was to focus on my race and take the lead from the start. To be fair, I was scared seeing him (Kamehelo) coming for me but I told myself to push till the finish. Next, my focus is to run Durban (referring to the Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K) where I'm hoping to run another personal best time,” said Mulaudzi who is only the second South African after Mokoka to win the Cape Town RUN YOUR CITY SERIES event since it’s inception in 2015.

For being the first man across the line (R30 000) and breaking the 28-minute barrier (R40 000), Boxer Athletics Club standout Kabelo Mulaudzi — coached by Richard Mayer — takes home a total of R70 000. 

Glenrose Xaba matches his earnings, pocketing R70 000 for winning the women’s race and finishing under the 32:08 incentive mark. Clocking an impressive 32:00, Xaba also made history by ending a nine-year drought for South African women at the RUN YOUR CITY event in The Mother City.

"I'm very happy to win the race especially with the very good field of fast athletes. It's the first time I’ve got a podium finish in the Absa RUN YOUR CITY CAPE TOWN 10K. In the past, I never ran well here. I’m always number six, five and never even had a fourth place, so to win today feels great,” said a very happy Xaba.  

Image: Mark Sampson

Selam Gebre finished second in 32:13 while the evergreen Lebo Phalula continued her mercurial 2025 form with her season sub 33 clocking of the year, producing 32:50 for the last podium position. 

“Congratulations to Kabelo Maluadzi and Glenrose Xaba on your exceptional performances today,” says Michael Meyer, Managing Director of Stillwater Sports and Series Founder. “Cape Town is where the Absa RUN YOUR CITY SERIES began, and it’s only fitting that we celebrate our 10th anniversary with world-class racing in the Mother City. We’re incredibly proud to have hosted a sold-out field of 15 000 enthusiastic runners who brought the streets of Cape Town to life. A heartfelt thank you to every runner and to all our valued sponsors - your support made this event truly unforgettable."

“Well done to all that participated in the Absa RUN YOUR CITY CAPE TOWN 10K, and who joined Team Absa Walk Run on Strava. A huge congratulations to all. It was inspiring to see 15 000 people taking to the streets of the Mother City, with many different reasons for running, pushing themselves to achieve their individual goals and telling their running stories," said Jabulile Nsibanyoni, Head of Sponsorships at Absa. “Your stories have inspired us all, and we are immensely grateful for your contributions to our event. Thank you to our colleagues, volunteers, partner sponsors, and organisers who made this event possible.”

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. 

Win a Chery Tiggo 4 Pro LiT Vehicle: Mxolisi Ndlangisa was the lucky participant to drive home in a brand-new Chery Tiggo 4 Pro LiT to the value of R269 900.00 courtesy of the event’s official Vehicle Partner, Chery South Africa. 

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). It is important to note that the R50 000.00 will be awarded to the fastest time.

RESULTS: 2025 Absa RUN YOUR CITY CAPE TOWN 10K

Date: Sunday 11 May 2025

Start Time: 09:00

Start Venue: Marine Drive, Milnerton

Finish Venue: Lower Long Street opposite Absa Building

ELITE MEN

1 Kabelo Maluadzi (RSA) 00:27:49, 2 Kamohelo Mofolo (Lesotho) 00:27:53, 3 Stephen Mokoka (RSA) 00:28:06, 4 Elroy Gelant (RSA) 00:28:08, 5 Rodgers Murei (Kenya) 00:28:10, 6 Chris Mhlanga (RSA) 00:28:17, 7 Bennett Seloyi (RSA) 00:28:19, 8 Bongelani Mkhwanazi (RSA) 00:28:21, 9 Nadeel Wildschutt (RSA) 00:28:24, 10 Linus Loitareng (Kenya) 00:28:26

ELITE WOMEN

1 Glenrose Xaba (RSA) 00:32:00, 2 Selam Gebre (Ethiopia) 00:32:13, 3 Lebo Phalula (RSA) 00:32:50, 4 Neheng Khatala (Lesotho) 00:32:55, 5 Monica Jeptarus (Kenya) 00:32:57, 6 Tayla Kavanagh (RSA) 00:33:01, 7 Karabo More (RSA) 00:33:29, 8 Cacisile Sosibo (RSA) 00:33:31, 9 Karabo Mailula (RSA) 00:33:36, 10 Olga Firsova (Australia) 00:33:47