CAPE TOWN – GLENROSE Xaba and Kabelo Mulaudzi ensured a Boxer Athletic Club ‘clean-sweep’ at the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Cape Town 10k on Sunday when they won the women and men’s race respectively.
Xaba clocked 32 minutes flat to beat her Ethiopian nemesis Selam Geber into second place 13 seconds behind as the ever-green veteran Lebo Phalula completed the podium with a fantastic run to represent the mom’s on their special day – Mothers’ Day.
Mulaudzi held off a superb challenge from Kamohelo Mofolo to win by just four seconds with his new Personal Best (PB) 27:49, as the Lesotho athlete who turns out in the colours of Excel Running Club missed his national record by a mere second.
As in the ladies race, third place went to a veteran – the legendary Stephen Mokoka occupying the third podium with a 28:06. Perhaps most impressive was Elroy Gelant who came in fourth two seconds behind Mokoka only three weeks after he’d run the national marathon record in Hamburg, Germany.
The second race of the popular cities series was always going to be hotly-contested in both the men and women’s category and with the weather perfect for running – no
wind and cool conditions – it was just the question of who would have the perfect day.
Mulaudzi had promised to go for the podium pre-race, the youngster coached by Richard Mayer saying a win would be a bonus. And it was a bonus alright, his time earning him the extra incentive of R50 000 on top of the R30 000 winners’ prize he pocketed.
“I’m very happy with my performance because I wanted to run a PB and today was my day and I got it. My plan was to go from the start because I knew the guys would be watching me,” Mulaudzi told the media at the finish line.
“I was pushing my pace all the time and the guys were pushing with me and when I was slowing down they were slowing down. So I told myself let me focus on my race to the finish.
“I was scared when Kamohelo broke and then at the end he was coming for me but I told myself let me push all the way to the finish. I ran a tactic race today, I usually don’t start from the front, I come from behind but today I said “let me just go.”
And go he did, running like the wind to register a PB but most importantly a victory that sees him swelling his bank balance significantly.
“It’s the best feeling ever, since I won the Absa Run Your City race back in 2023, so this was a very good race.”
Xaba made up for her third-place finish from the series and season-opening race in Gqeberha last month with a victory that confirms her standing as the country’s best female road runner at the moment.
She was understandably delighted at having lived up to her pre-race promise: “I told you before that the challenge does not scare me, it just motivates me. I am very happy to win the race in a good, fast field of strong women. I had Selam who is the fastest one and I am glad I was the first one to cross the line.
“It was a competition between me and Salem and that lady from Kenya, I am very happy that I was able to manage the competition. The first three to five kays (kilometers) I was not feeling strong but at the end I was keeping my pace. I lost the SA record on the downwards because of the coldness, but I am happy to run a good time. You can’t run fast all the time, to do that you need to have three to five weeks of good training. But I am very happy with the win.”
Next up on the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series is the Durban leg where Xaba broke the long-standing national record of Elena Meyer. Such is her current form, there’s a chance she could improve on it.
