Tayla Kavanagh targets strong season opener at Absa RUN YOUR CITY GQEBERHA 10K

After a fruitful 2025 season during which she became the fourth fastest South African 10km female runner of all time, comeback queen Tayla Kavanagh is relishing the opportunity of taking on the best in SA, Africa and the world at her first road race of the season – the Absa RUN YOUR CITY GQEBERHA 10K on Sunday, 1 March 2026.

The Hollywood Athletics Club elite athlete who won the SA 10km title in 2021 when the national championships were incorporated into the Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K, has decided to go back to the basics and focus on track events this year, with the aim of building speed and achieving faster times on the road.

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On Saturday, 24 January, Kavanagh opened her season by clocking an impressive career best 9:00:21 to win the 3,000m event during the first KwaZulu-Natal Athletics (KZNA) league meeting at the King’s Park Athletics Stadium.

“This year, I will be focusing quite a lot on the track. Track is something I need to work on as it doesn’t come naturally to me. I don’t come from a track background. I want to challenge myself in order to develop as an athlete. So I’m going to do more track, hopefully 5 000m and 10 000m. I’m hoping to get some speed and translate that speed to the road,” said Kavanagh.

Buoyed by an amazing 2025 which saw her break the 32 minute barrier twice and set a career-best 31:41 on the way to victory at last year’s Sanlam Cape Town Marathon 10km Peace Run, the 24-year-old is ready to compete against the best that SA, East Africa and the world has to offer in Nelson Mandela Bay.

“The goal for the first race of the season is to lay down a good solid foundation. I surprised myself with what I can do by ending the year in Cape Town the way I did. I didn’t take part in the race last year but looking at the times it shows that the race was fast. I’m hoping Glenrose will run to see if we can challenge each other this year as we did last year. I get the best results when I just run. If I’m calm and relaxed, I run at my best.”

Also looking to benefit from the fast pace set by world class opposition is Eastern Cape native Cwenga Nose. The 2025 SA 10 000m silver medalist who runs in the colours of Phantane AC has every right to target a new personal best after opening his season with a 28:45 clocking to win the Colchester 10km in ‘The Bay’ by over a minute. Crediting his coach Mdu Khumalo for his rapid improvement over the last 12 months in particular, 25-year-old Nose who hails from eNgcobo in what was formerly the Transkei, says he has been training hard and would dearly love to improve on his 28:41 personal best in his adopted hometown.

“I’m in very good shape because I spent the whole December training hard to have a good season,” said Nose. “Since the beginning of the month, I have been training hard for the Absa RUN YOUR CITY GQEBERHA 10K. I know people are saying it is a flat and fast course. It means we are going to witness some fast times. The plan is to stick to the race plan and run my own race.”

“Tayla Kavanagh and Cwenga Nose will bring added excitement to the women’s and men’s elite races respectively at the Absa RUN YOUR CITY GQEBERHA 10K,” says Michael Meyer, Managing Director of Stillwater Sports and Series Founder. “Tayla is coming off a remarkable season and has proven she can deliver fast times on the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series courses. It’s always special to see local talent like Cwenga Nose racing in Gqeberha. He has made significant strides over the past 12 months, and with a quality field and fast course conditions, we’re looking forward to seeing what he can produce on race day.”

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In closing, Meyer adds: “Gqeberha consistently produces world-class performances, and we are confident it will provide the perfect platform for Tayla and Cwenga to test themselves against the very best in South Africa and beyond.”

EVENT DATES: 2026 Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series

2026 PRIZE PURSE AND SA ATHLETE INCENTIVES: The Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series boasts 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.