"You need to push yourself" -Maisa smashes PB by over a minute to claim top ten finish at Absa DURBAN 10K

Lining up alongside 3000m steeplechase World Record holder Beatrice Chepkoech and 29:25 10km runner Brenda Jepchirchir, SA 5000m champion Tayla Kavanagh and Lesotho 10km national record holder Neheng Khatala, Zanele Maisa wouldn’t have been given much chance of making an impact on yesterday’s (12 July) Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K. But the Waterfall Athletic Club top runner delivered her best 10km performance yet when she clocked 34:21 to smash her personal best by a whopping 1 minute and 20 seconds, claiming tenth position against a world class field.

"I'm so excited to run a new PB," she told #TheTopRunner. "Actually the main reason I came to run the Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K was to break my PB and to be in the top ten. That was my target and by the grace of God I managed to get position ten. I’m so happy."

Maisa celebrates her new PB. Photo Credit: Action Photo.

"I was so scared because it was my first time running the Absa DURBAN 10K," she continued. "I was panicking a little bit before the start of the race. But I just told myself to use this exposure and chase the fast ladies to get a PB."

In truth, the 30-year-old’s new lifetime best had been a long time coming. This year alone, the athlete who is coached by Tshepo Khoza has bettered her 400m (59.14), 800m (2:09.21) and 5000m (17:11.78) personal bests. Maisa, who lives and trains in the Ekurhuleni township of Kwa-Thema is being rewarded for giving her running career a second try.

Maisa represented South Africa at the 2026 World Cross Country Championships in the United States of America in January. Photo Credit: Supplied.

After being a promising junior, she took some time off from the sport and returned in 2024 which was followed by a promising 2025 season during which she took fourth place at the Athletics South Africa (ASA) 10km championships in a then personal best 35:41 and secured a top six finish at the national cross country championships to book her spot at the World Cross Country Championships in the United States in January. The athlete who lives and trains in the Ekurhuleni township of Kwa-Thema says travelling to Tallahassee, Florida where she was spotted and invited to take part in a 10km cross country race in Kenya opened her mind to a world of new possibilities.

"I went to race a cross country event in Kenya in February. I was invited after my participation at the World Cross Country Championships in the US. The experience was good. Surviving the tough tough course and the high altitude showed me that I can do this. It boosted my confidence."

Maisa chasing her new PB on the Durban North Beach Promenade. Photo Credit: Action Photo.

They take running so seriously which made me start to see things differently. I learnt that whenever I. Put on my takkies, whether the race is big or small or even in training, you need to push yourself."