'The standard of South African road running continues to rise' - Absa RYC unveil prize money & cash incentives for 2025

With the first race in Gqeberha of 2025 less than eight weeks away, organisers of the Absa RUN YOUR CITY SERIES have announced that they will pay over R1,5 million in prize money. Absa RYC and Series Founder Michael Meyer believes that rewarding athletes for world class performances is what sets the series apart and has resulted earned it the reputation of being the fastest 10km series in South Africa and Africa.

SA Athletes will look to earn cash incentives by running fast during the 2025 Absa RYC. Photo Credit: Tobias Ginsberg.

"We firmly believe that an impressive prize purse not only rewards hard work but also inspires athletes to push boundaries," says Meyer. "We are proud to announce a combined prize purse of R1 610 000.00 in 2025. Each of the five events will feature a total prize allocation of R322 000. Of this, R252 000.00 will be dedicated to the Open Category, with R126 000.00 awarded to the Top 10 Open Men and R126 000.00 to the Top 10 Open Women. The top male and female finishers in each city will receive R30 000.00 each, with R25 000.00 going to second-place finishers and R20 000.00 to third-place finishers."

Aside from the prize money on offer Meyer also announced a handsome accompaniment of time incentives to entice SA Athletes to running faster than ever before. Boasting some of South Africa's fastest 10km courses, the series which was first run in 2015 has become synonymous with record times. Both the SA Men's and Women's 10km records for example, were run in the Meyer says paying runners well motivates them to run faster.

Glenrose Xaba earned over R300 000 in prize money and incentives during the 2024 Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series that saw her win in TSHWANE and JOBURG and break the SA Record in Durban. Photo credit: Tobias Ginsberg.

Reigning SA 10km Champion Glenrose Xaba says the Absa RUN YOUR CITY SERIES' SA Athlete Incentives provide strong motivation for local athletes to push harder. "The incentives are very important to me because they're directly linked to performance times. The better my time, the better my chances of competing internationally. These incentives motivate me to stay at the top because the rewards are tangible. Breaking my own record would be a dream come true—I’d be the happiest woman alive," says Xaba.

For women, bonuses begin for times faster than 32:08 minutes, with an impressive R200 000.00 incentive for breaking the 30:23 mark. To further raise the stakes, a bonus of R50 000.00 will be awarded to the South African athlete who breaks the SA 10km record (at the time of the race). In the men's category, bonuses will start for times faster than 28 minutes, with a substantial R200 000.00 bonus for breaking the 27-minute barrier. The current men's record stands at 27:35, set by Precious Mashele at the Absa RUN YOUR CITY GQEBERHA 10K in 2023, while Glenrose Xaba holds the women's record of 31:12, achieved at the Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K in 2024. It's important to note that the R50 000.00 will be awarded to the fastest time.

"The standard of South African road running continues to rise at the Absa RUN YOUR CITY SERIES," adds Meyer. "This is evident from the fact that both the current men's and women's 10km national records were set at the Absa RUN YOUR CITY SERIES. In 2024, we paid out an impressive total of R610 000. in SA Athlete Incentives—an achievement we are

incredibly proud of as event organisers. Our goal is to build on this momentum by continuing to reward exceptional performances in 2025 and raising the level of competitiveness in South African middle-distance running."