After representing Mzansi in the 2024 Olympic Games, top runner Elroy Gelant is now turning his attention to the Absa Run Your City 10km series.
Gelant is expected to bring his star power to the Tshwane version of the series next week.
While reflecting on his Olympic performance, Gelant highlighted the Run Your City series as a crucial factor in his impressive showing at the Games.
Competing in his third Olympics, the 37-year-old clocked an impressive 2:09:07 on August 10, securing an 11th-place finish — the best by a South African man since Josiah Thugwane’s gold medal victory at the Atlanta Games in 1996.
“I’m really satisfied with my race. I’m very happy with my performance. The course was brutal in terms of the hills,” said Gelant.
Looking forward to the race
“The Run Your City series assisted me a lot in terms of leg speed. I was relaxed during the first few kilometres during the first half of the race because of the leg speed I obtained during the series, which formed part of my whole Olympic structure.”
The Boxer Athletic Club top runner has dominated the 2024 Run Your City series, taking second place at the Gqeberha leg in April and second again in the Cape Town edition.
He won the Durban series with a lifetime best of 27:47.
Feeling no ill-effects from the third sub 2:10 in Saturday’s marathon, Gelant is committed to lining up in the series once again in Tshwane next Sunday.
“I’m good. I’m niggle-free, and I’m looking forward to the rest of the series,” he said.
“I’m doing some easy jogging for now. Maybe in the first Run Your City series I can start by finding my rhythm again and then go full force in the last one in Johannesburg on September 24. I’m happy with my build-up.”
