South Africa
Lesotho
Namibia
Botswana
Mozambique
eSwatini
Zimbabwe
Tanzania
“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,” says the 27-year-old, who set a South African record of 27:28 on his Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series debut in ‘The Friendly City’ last April, before Maxime Chaumeton eclipsed that mark with a 26:55 clocking in Romania six months later.
As his family, who had travelled from his hometown of Ceres in the Western Cape, watched on, the US-based Wildschutt produced a magnificent solo effort, taking the lead just after the 3km mark before romping home to a new SA 10km record in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. But in order to dip under 27 minutes for the first time, the Olympian - who set a new SA Half Marathon record of 59:13 at the Valencia Half Marathon in October - says strong competition and good pacemaking will be essential.
“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,” said the man who finished 13th at the World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Florida, on Saturday, 10 January.
The magnitude of the task at hand notwithstanding, Wildschutt draws confidence from his ability to inspire local up-and-coming top runners, as well as the vocal support he always enjoys when racing on home soil. That, coupled with his appreciation for a series that has provided much-needed opportunities for South African and African athletes to compete in a world-class event on the African continent, continues to drive him to use the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series as a platform for breaking barriers.
“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. 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. The incentives they provide also motivate us to prepare well for these races, which further enhances the competition. They have done a great job over the last few years and are still rising. I cannot see why they can’t achieve even higher international attention and attract the very top athletes in the world,” Wildschutt adds in closing.
Video Message from Adriaan Wildschutt regarding the upcoming Absa RUN YOUR CITY GQEBERHA 10K: https://youtu.be/NeXEnpYDz28
“We are excited to welcome Adriaan back to the Absa RUN YOUR CITY GQEBERHA 10K in 2026,” says Michael Meyer, Managing Director of Stillwater Sports and Founder of the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series. “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. It’s incredibly exciting to witness this growth within the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series, and we are proud to watch South African athletes like Adriaan continue to shine, both locally and on the international stage.”