Comrades ace Edward Mothibi hones speed with Absa Run Your City Joburg 10K test

When he lines up at the Absa Run Your City Joburg 10K on Heritage Day, ultramarathon star Edward Mothibi will continue a routine that has been a vital cog in prolonging his elite career at the age of 40.   

The five-time Comrades Marathon gold medallist uses the unforgiving pace of 10km racing as both a performance test and to recover from the exertions of The Ultimate Human Race.

His latest speed test was in Saturday’s Hollywoodbets Joburg 10km, where the 2019 Comrades Marathon champion finished in 11th position, in a time of 31:02.

“The race was good, a little bit tough from the first 5km, and I think that’s where I faded a little bit, but I ended up holding on to the speed that I was running,” he said in analysing Saturday’s performance. 

Mothibi’s history in the Absa Run Your City Joburg 10K makes him confident of a much stronger finish next week Wednesday, before shifting his focus to preparations for the upcoming ultramarathon season. 

The Rustenburg-based athlete, who finished fifth in the 2023 edition of the Absa Joburg 10K and has earned two consecutive top-10 finishes against 10km and 21km specialists in the series season finale in Joburg, should be a threat once again. 

He showed great speed and strength to win the hilly Kyalami Corner Midrand Striders Half Marathon in 1:08:53.

“Maybe I have an advantage as well because it is a hilly course and Rustenburg has a lot of hills. I also think I’ve got the luck of the Absa Run Your City Joburg 10K. I hope that luck continues,” he said.

After finishing fourth in The Ultimate Human Race in June, Mothibi emphasizes the essential role  incorporating 10km races like the Absa Joburg 10K into his schedule plays in his post-Comrades recovery.

“I think by that time it’s September the body has rested enough after Comrades. I hope that even this year, my body will respond accordingly because that’s the last race where I want to run well before starting the build up to Comrades again,” said Mothibi. 

“The body is recovering well, which I can see by the way I’m running my speed sessions. After Comrades I just wanted to try and concentrate on my speed to build it up because the age is also catching up with me. So it’s best that I do more 10km and 21km races.”

The elite men’s race in the 2024 Absa Joburg Run Your City 10K was won by Gideon Kipngetich of Kenya in a time of 28:51, while the SA duo of Chris Mhlanga (29:13) and Kabelo Mulaudzi (29:15) completed the podium.

The latter runner has been in blistering form over 10km this year, with a recent hat-trick of victories in the Absa Series. He will be a strong title contender once again should he toe the line in Johannesburg on Heritage Day.