South African distance runner Adriaan Wildschutt will return to the Absa RUN YOUR CITY GQEBERHA 10K on Sunday, 01 March, with a clear objective: to become the first athlete to run a sub-27-minute 10km on African soil.
Fresh off a standout 2025 season in which he broke four national records, the 27-year-old Olympian says achieving the milestone at home would rank among the highlights of his career.
“It would mean a lot to run sub-27:00 on SA soil. It would probably be one of my very highest achievements. It would certainly mean the world to me,” Wildschutt said.
Wildschutt has fond memories of the Gqeberha course. In his Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series debut last April, he produced a dominant solo run to stop the clock at 27:28, setting a new South African 10km record in front of family members who had travelled from his hometown of Ceres in the Western Cape.
That record in the Friendly City’ last April, was later eclipsed internationally by Maxime Chaumeton, clocking 26:55 in Romania six months later.
Since then, Wildschutt has continued to raise the bar, including setting a South African half-marathon record of 59:13 at the Valencia Half Marathon in October. He also finished 13th at the World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Florida, in January.
Despite his form, Wildschutt acknowledged the challenge of breaking 27 minutes on the Gqeberha course.
“I want to emphasise how tall an order that is on this course, and I’d need competition. It wasn’t ideal running alone for most of the race last year.
“To even come close to sub-27, I need perfect weather (which is out of our control), as well as competitors who can push me all the way to the finish line. Pacers will also be extremely important and hopefully can pace even longer than 5km,” he said.
Wildschutt added that racing on home soil remains a major source of motivation, particularly given the impact he believes it has on emerging South African athletes.
“It’s always such a pleasure and honour to run in South Africa. I understand that there are quite a few athletes I indirectly influence, and it’s great talking to them about the world of running and all facets of life,” he said.
“The Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series has been a huge help in providing opportunities for us to run fast and compete against high-quality athletes.”
Series founder and Stillwater Sports managing director Michael Meyer welcomed Wildschutt’s return to Gqeberha, praising his consistency and influence.
“We are excited to welcome Adriaan back to the Absa RUN YOUR CITY GQEBERHA 10K in 2026,” Meyer said.
“His consistency, professionalism and record-breaking performances over the past few seasons have been exceptional, and he continues to raise the bar for South African distance running. We want SA’s elite athletes to keep breaking records, pushing boundaries and setting new benchmarks on home soil.”
The Absa RUN YOUR CITY GQEBERHA 10K forms part of a series aimed at providing world-class racing opportunities for South African and African athletes on the continent.
