BONUS – RUSTENBURG - Lesotho’s Namakoe Nkhasi and Ethiopia’s Debash Desta emerged triumphant at the 2023 Absa Run Your City Joburg 10K and in the process obliterated the previous course records when they crossed the finish line at the Mary Fitzgerald Square, Newtown (Johannesburg) on Sunday 24 September (National Heritage Day) in 29 minutes 07 seconds and 33 minutes 03 seconds respectively.
Nkhasi, a previous winner here in 2016, took 35 seconds off the previous course record set by South Africa’s Nicholas Seoposengwe (29:42) in 2022, while Desta’s 33:03 is 47 seconds quicker than the previous course record of 33:50 that was set by Emmaculate Achol (Kenya) in 2022.
After a slow start, the men’s lead pack went through 4km on the M2 Highway in 12:32, the tempo started to increase as Mathews Leeto moved to the front and started accelerating, taking with him South Africa’s three time SA Champion in the 1500m, Nkosinathi Sibiya, in-form Kabelo Mulaudzi, Collen Mulaudzi, Melikhaya Frans, Edward Mothibi and Tete Dijana amongst others. Mathews continued to drive the pace and as the athletes came off the Highway the pack had strung out with only Lesotho’s Nkhasi, Mulaudzi and Mathews in contention.
But the hard racing of the last three weeks had taken its toll, and he was slowly reeled in by Namakoe Nkhasi. The 29-year-old Lesotho National Record Holder opened the throttle after 9km and spurted away from a fading Mulaudzi. Flying down the long finish straight, Nkhasi was unstoppable, taking line honours in 29:07, and dragging the first six athletes under 30 minutes. Kabelo Mulaudzi had to dig deep to hold off a fast-finishing Mathews Leeto (29:26 – 29:29) for second.
In the women’s race Ethiopians Debash Desta and Selam Gebre matched each other stride for stride. It was only in the final kilometer that Desta was able to edge away to win in 33:03. Gebre a mere 7 seconds behind, with a resurgent Irvette van Zyl taking her first podium of a year that has been marred by injury, finishing 3rd.
This is Desta’s second win in the Absa Run Your City Series in 2023, after equaling her PB of 32:14 in winning the Absa Run Your City Tshwane 10K on 27 August.
