Cheptegei delivers 10km masterclass as Cherop announces herself with breakthrough victory at the Absa CITY DURBAN 10K

Joshua Cheptegei delivered one of the best performances ever seen on African soil when he won the Absa RUN YOUR DURBAN 10K in 27:19. Returning to the race where he set at the SA All Comers record of 27:16 in 2018, the Ugandan superstar took control of the race from the gun passing the halfway mark in 13:48 before surging away from the field to cross the finish line in the fastest time run on African soil this year.

"The race was really good. I enjoyed running here in Durban," said the 5000m and 10 000m World Record holder who was followed home by Kenya’s Salem Kibet (27:29) and his training partner Emmanuel Kibet (27:32), while Kabelo Mulaudzi in sixth (28:06) was the best of the South Africans. 

Cheptegei wins again in Durban. Photo Credit: Rajesh Jantilal.

"I decided to be a bit more aggressive after 5km because I saw that we were not very fast and I wanted to run a fast time. Maybe next time we can have more pacemakers for the men to build the first half tempo a bit more so we can run the second half in a controlled way. For me to come and win is exciting and gives me motivation to move on to my next goal."

Having just missed out on eclipsing his own SA All-Comers Record, Cheptegei the reigning Olympic 10 000m champion was nevertheless pleased with his outing, reporting that he would love to return to the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series while encouraging other top runners to do the same.

"It's really an incredible atmosphere. Coming here and seeing all the fans was spectacular. For anyone who anyone who has never run here, they should reconsider running on South African soil."

In the women's race, Doreen Cherop produced a stellar 30:43 to emerge as one of the surprise packages of the race as she overtook pre-race favourite Brenda Jepchirchir inside the last mile. Jepchirchir hung on to the runner-up position 30:52 as 3000m Steeplechase World Record holder Beatrice Chepkoech took third place in 31:25 for a Kenyan sweep the podium. Durban local Tayla Kavanagh continued her superlative 2026 form with an encouraging 31:28 fourth place finish - just two seconds outside her personal best.

Cherop secured the biggest victory of her career. Photo Credit: Rajesh Jantilal.

Speaking to the media after the race, Cherop said the win came as a welcome bonus because her main target was simply to finish in the top three. "The weather was great the last five kilometres was very fast. I'm happy to win the race especially because target was just to be on the podium," she said. 

"What we witnessed on the streets of Durban today was nothing short of extraordinary," says Michael Meyer, Managing Director of Stillwater Sports and Series Founder. "Joshua Cheptegei once again demonstrated why he is regarded as one of the greatest distance runners of his generation with a truly world-class performance, while Doreen Cherop delivered a sensational run. Performances of this calibre inspire athletes, excite fans and continue to elevate the standard of road running in South Africa. We are incredibly grateful to all the runners, our partners, sponsors and the City of Durban for helping make this memorable day possible."

"Well done to all who participated in the Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K and joined Team Absa Walk Run on Strava. A huge congratulations to all the winners. It was inspiring to see so many people taking to the streets, with many different reasons for running, pushing themselves to achieve their individual goals," said Jabulile Nsibanyoni, Head of Sponsorships at Absa. "Your stories have inspired us all, and we are immensely grateful for your contributions to the race in 2026. Thank you to our colleagues, volunteers, partner sponsors, and organisers who made this another memorable race."