![\"\"](\"http:\/\/salifemag.co.za\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Elite-Men-at-Absa-RUN-YOUR-CITY-DURBAN-10K-2025-by-Anthony-Grote-300x200.jpg\")
<\/p>\nStillwater Sports, the driving force behind South Africa\u2019s premier road running series, the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series, is
\nproud to unveil an impressive, combined prize purse of R1 686 000.00, complemented by innovative SA athlete incentives
\ndesigned to ignite standout performances and unforgettable moments in 2026.
\nSince launching in 2015, the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series has transformed the local road running landscape, delivering five
\nelectrifying mass participation events across five iconic cities. The action-packed calendar gets underway in Gqeberha in
\nMarch, before moving on to Cape Town in May, Durban in July and Tshwane in August, and wraps up with a thrilling finale
\nin Johannesburg in September.<\/p>\n
\u201cOffering an impressive prize purse is extremely important to us and we are proud to once again be able to do so at the
\nAbsa RUN YOUR CITY Series in 2026,\u201d says Michael Meyer, Managing Director of Stillwater Sports. \u201cWe believe that a
\nstrong prize purse does more than reward dedication and loyalty towards the series – it fuels ambition and inspires athletes
\nto chase extraordinary performances. That is why we are proud to continue growing our prize purse each year with 2026
\nfeaturing a combined prize purse of R1 686 000.00.\u201d
\n\u201cEach of the five events will boast a total prize allocation of R337 200.00, with R267 200.00 dedicated to the Open
\nCategory. This includes R133 600.00 for the Top 10 Open Men and R133 600.00 for the Top 10 Open Women. The top male
\nand female finishers in each city will take home R33 000.00, while second place will earn R24 000.00 and third place R21
\n000.00.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn addition, R70 000.00 per event has been allocated to Age Categories, rewarding the top three finishers in the Junior,
\n40\u201349, 50\u201359, 60\u201369 and 70+ age groups – ensuring excellence is celebrated across generations.\u201d
\nExciting 2026 SA Athlete Incentives:
\nAlongside the impressive combined prize purse, Stillwater Sports once again raises the bar with its acclaimed SA Athlete
\nPrize Incentive Schedule – and 2026 promises to be bigger and bolder than ever. Applied across all five Absa RUN YOUR
\nCITY Series races, the incentive programme rewards exceptional performances and encourages athletes to chase new
\nlimits.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
In the Elite Men\u2019s race, bonuses kick in for times faster than 28 minutes, with a remarkable R300 000.00 incentive up for
\ngrabs for breaking the 27-minute barrier, while a new SA Record (the fastest runner) will secure an additional R50\u00a0000.
\nThe Elite Women\u2019s race is equally rewarding, with bonuses starting for times faster than 32:08, and an outstanding R300
\n000.00 bonus for athletes who dip under 30:20. A new SA Record (the fastest runner) will secure an additional R50\u00a0000.<\/p>\n
Added Bonuses: To further turn up the heat, additional bonuses will be awarded for consistent excellence across the
\nseries:
\nElite Men
\n\uf0b7 R20 000 bonus for breaking 28 minutes twice during the 2026 series.
\n\uf0b7 R30 000 bonus for breaking 28 minutes three times in 2026.
\nElite Women
\n\uf0b7 R20 000 bonus for breaking 32:08 twice during the 2026 series.
\n\uf0b7 R30 000 bonus for breaking 32:08 three times in 2026.<\/p>\n
In closing, Meyer adds: \u201cIn 2025, we paid out an impressive total of R1.9 million in Prize Money and SA Athlete Incentives –
\nan achievement we\u2019re incredibly proud of as event organisers. Building on this momentum, our focus for 2026 is to reward
\nexceptional performances even further and elevate the level of competition in South African middle-distance running. By\u00a0empowering our elite athletes to build successful careers at home, we\u2019re confident these incentives will attract the
\ncountry\u2019s top talent and deliver spectacular racing across all five events in 2026.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adriaan Wildschutt returns: After a standout 2025 season that saw him better four national records, Adriaan Wildschutt
\nhas set his sights on further record-breaking achievements in 2026. Wildschutt will return to the Absa RUN YOUR CITY
\nGQEBERHA 10K on Sunday, 01 March, where he aims to become the first athlete to clock a sub-27-minute 10km on
\nAfrican soil.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series has been a huge help in providing opportunities for us to run fast and compete against
\nhigh-quality athletes. The incentives they provide also motivate us to prepare well for these races, which further enhances
\nthe competition,\u201d said Wildschutt (Olympian and 5x SA Record holder).<\/p>\n
According to Kabelo Mulaudzi, 3x SA Cross Country Champion and 6x Absa RUN YOUR CITY Winner, he is really looking
\nforward to the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series this year. \u201cAs an athlete who specialises in shorter distances, the Series allows
\nme to focus purely on 10km racing without having to step up to half marathons or marathons just to earn decent prize
\nmoney. For a long time in South Africa, there were very few opportunities for sub-marathon athletes to make a sustainable
\nincome, so the prize money on offer in this Series is a game-changer.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/salifemag.co.za\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Elite-Men-at-Absa-RUN-YOUR-CITY-CAPE-TOWN-10K-2025-by-Mark-Sampson-300x200.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\u201cI would like to thank Absa, Stillwater Sports and Michael Meyer for creating these opportunities and incentives for South
\nAfrican elite athletes,\u201d continues Mulaudzi. \u201cThe time-based incentive structure really encourages fast and consistent
\nperformances – whether it\u2019s the R200 000 incentive for running faster than 27:10, the R300 000 for breaking 27:00, or the
\nrewards for consistently running under 28 minutes throughout the season. I strongly believe athletes should be rewarded
\nfor fast performances rather than appearance money, and I\u2019m excited to test myself against some of the best athletes from
\nSouthern and East Africa in the Series.\u201dTo view the 2026 Prize Purse Breakdown and SA Athlete Incentive Schedule, visit https:\/\/runyourcityseries.com\/<\/p>\n
EVENT DATES: 2026 Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series
\n1. Sunday 01 March 2026 Absa RUN YOUR CITY GQEBERHA 10K
\n2. Sunday 10 May 2026 Absa RUN YOUR CITY CAPE TOWN 10K
\n3. Sunday 12 July 2026 Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K
\n4. Sunday 23 August 2026 Absa RUN YOUR CITY TSHWANE 10K
\n5. Thursday 24 September 2026 Absa RUN YOUR CITY JOBURG 10K<\/p>\n
Facebook: @Gqeberha10k \/ @CapeTown10k \/ @Durban10k \/ @Tshwane10k \/ @Joburg10k
\nInstagram: @Gqeberha10k \/ @CapeTown10k \/ @Durban10k \/ @Tshwane10k \/ @Joburg10k
\nHashtag: #RunYourCity #AbsaRunYourCity
\nWhatsApp Line: 072 042 7613
\nWebsites: www.runyourcityseries.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Stillwater Sports, the driving force behind South Africa\u2019s premier road running series, the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series, is proud to unveil an impressive, combined prize purse of R1 686 000.00, complemented by innovative SA athlete incentives designed to ignite standout performances and unforgettable moments in 2026. Since launching in 2015, the Absa RUN YOUR<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":732,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,15],"tags":[154,156,164],"class_list":["post-729","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-the-loop","category-the-good-lifestyle","tag-absa-run-your-city","tag-running","tag-whats-on"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/salifemag.co.za\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/729","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/salifemag.co.za\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/salifemag.co.za\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salifemag.co.za\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salifemag.co.za\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=729"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/salifemag.co.za\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/729\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":733,"href":"https:\/\/salifemag.co.za\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/729\/revisions\/733"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salifemag.co.za\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/732"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/salifemag.co.za\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=729"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salifemag.co.za\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=729"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salifemag.co.za\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=729"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}