The road along Beach Road in Humewood is set to hum like a tightly strung racing flat on Sunday when the Absa RUN YOUR CITY GQEBERHA 10K fires the starter’s pistol at 07:00 on Sunday morning.
At the heart of the storm will be South Africa’s record-breaking speed merchant Adriaan Wildschutt, who returns to Gqeberha with a stopwatch-sized target on his back and a slice of history in his sights.
Last year, Wildschutt scorched through the coastal streets in 27:28, rewriting the national 10km record and turning the race into a blur of pounding footsteps and shredded limits.
This time, the 27-year-old Olympian wants more. He is chasing Maxime Chaumeton’s national mark of 26:55 (set in October 2025 at the Brașov Running Festival in Romania) and, beyond that, a barrier no man has broken on African soil: 27 minutes for 10km.
Speaking at Friday’s pre-race press conference, Wildschutt sounded like a man ready to swing for the tape.
“I had a great experience here in Gqeberha last year. It’s a world class event happening in a great city. I’m feeling good and hopefully I can deliver on Sunday,”
Wildschutt said he is doing everything possible not to overthink the opportunity.
“I never even thought about that to be honest because Ive realised in the last few years that you can break so many records only for them to be broken the next day, so I’m not so focused about records any more.
“There are a lot of things I do in my life and things I’m interested in because if you are going to obsess over records, it’s just going to result in sadness at the end of the day.
“For me, I just want to run sub-27, and I think it’s going to be a mental thing because it will be the first time that’s been done on African soil.”
Wildschutt believes familiarity with the Gqeberha course could prove decisive. Having made his race debut there last year, he returns with a clearer understanding of the coastal conditions.
“I know the course now and know which direction the wind blows unless it changes again because you never really know.
“We also have pacers now, and there is a person we are confident in that can push all the way to 5km, because last year we were well off pace early on and that made it so much harder to run by yourself. In that department, we are already better and hopefully my fitness is good enough.”
Last year he voiced frustration at the early pace. This time, the experienced Kenyan Isaac Kibet Ndiema, who owns a 26:55 personal best, is expected to help drive the tempo at the front.
Even so, Wildschutt insists his race will be dictated by execution rather than rivalry.
The Ceres-born runner, now based in the United States, has sharpened his edge in Potchefstroom after a 13th-place finish at the World Cross Country Championships in Florida in January. The endurance engine is primed. The question is whether the conditions and competition will align like perfectly timed splits on a watch.
On paper, Ndiema is the quickest man in the field. On the road, he could be the catalyst Wildschutt needs to dip under 27 minutes for the first time and potentially slice through 26.
Wildschutt understands that fast times are rarely solo acts.
“To run fast anywhere in the world you need a high level of competition, great pace making and good weather. I’m not saying that to be arrogant, but rather acknowledging that I need other people to work with to help me to achieve this tough goal.
“I’m grateful to Absa for making it happen. If I can manage to do it, it would be the second best performance of my career behind the Olympics,”
For an athlete who finished tenth in the Olympic 10 000m final, that is no small claim. A sub-27 on African soil would echo far beyond Nelson Mandela Bay, ringing through the continent’s distance running corridors.
Women’s race poised for a breakthrough
If the men’s contest promises fireworks, the women’s field reads like a championship start list.
Kenya’s Brenda Jepchirchir arrives as the 10km world leader after clocking a personal best 29:25 to win the Valencia 10K in January. She is hunting history of her own, aiming to become the first woman to run sub-30 minutes on African soil.
“Running my first sub 30 minute race to win the Valencia 10K was so emotional. I’m happy to be here to race in South Africa because I hear that it’s a fast course. My aim is to break my personal best time and hopefully make history by running the fastest time on African soil.”
Her challenge will come from a field as deep as an elite marathon pack: compatriot and training partner Faith Cherono, South African 10km record holder Glenrose Xaba, and Lesotho national record holder Neheng Khatala.
It is widely regarded as the strongest women’s 10km field assembled on South African roads. If the pace clicks from the gun, the clock may struggle to keep up.
A series built for speed
The Gqeberha showdown opens the 2026 Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series, a five-race national circuit that has become a proving ground for personal bests and national records.
2026 Race Calendar:
- 1 March: Gqeberha 10K
- 10 May: Cape Town 10K
- 12 July: Durban 10K
- 23 August: Tshwane 10K
- 24 September: Joburg 10K
The series carries a combined prize purse of R1 686 000, alongside incentives tailored to ignite standout performances from South African athletes.
On Sunday, though, the focus narrows to a strip of tar along the Indian Ocean. The air will taste of salt and anticipation. Every stride will drum against the possibility of history.
Wildschutt is ready to run into the red. Jepchirchir is poised to test the limits of the clock. If the pace is true and the wind behaves, Gqeberha may witness a morning where seconds fall like dominoes and the 10km script is rewritten in bold ink.
