Kenya’s Daniel Simiu Ebenyo will make an assault on the 12km World Best time of 33:27 at the 2021 Absa CAPE TOWN 12K CITYRUN on Sunday 21 November. The World Best time was set by countryman Morris Munene Gachaga in Cape Town on 21 May 2017 at the same event.
“We are very excited for the Absa CAPE TOWN 12K CITYRUN and believe that Daniel will have a very good shot at breaking the World Best,” said his Manager, Lee-Roy Newton, founder of Newton Sports Agency. “He has had a fantastic season thus far and only a fall in the 5000m final at the Olympics cost him an opportunity of a medal in that event.”
Up until 12 September where the 10km World Record was broken, Ebenyo had been the list leader with his 27:50 run on 7 March in Berlin. 2021 was certainly an exceptional year for him. He qualified for the Olympic Games 5000m at the Newton Classic Qualifier on 28 May in Durban. The race was held in adverse conditions with a strong wind blowing down the backstraight making things difficult for the athletes. The event was put on specifically for athletes to have an opportunity to qualify for the Olympic Games, with the qualification period ending at midnight on 31 May. Adverse conditions or not, Ebenyo grasped the opportunity with both hands and in a solo effort clocked 13:12.26 to book his place to Tokyo.
His class and quality came through at the Kenyan Olympic Trials in the 5000m where he finished second in 13:05.05 in the finals in Nairobi – at an altitude of 1795m on 19 June. His Olympic Qualifier in Durban was a Personal Best by three seconds. His second place finish in Nairobi, lowered his best by 7 seconds, and ten days later at the Spitzen Leichtathletik in Luzern, Switzerland, Ebenyo chashed Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo to the line to lower his best again. This time to 12:55.88 which is the 10th fastest time in the world this year.
Ebenyo has only been on the circuit for three short years but has already notched up quite the pedigree. While his big focus is the track, with Ebenyo having set his sights on the 5000m at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Oregon next year, he has a remarkable road CV to his name too. In his debut Half Marathon in Eldoret on 6 October 2019, Ebenyo crossed the line first in 63:00. Eldoret, which is close to his training grounds of Iten in Kenya, lies at 2019m altitude. He would also win the Semi Marathon International De Laayoune in Morroco on 3 November that year, bringing his time down to 1:00.45 for his personal best time over the distance. His record over the 10km is quite phenomenal with 5 wins from 6 races and a best time of 27:12 set in France on 29 December 2019. His only excursion onto the roads in 2021 was the Berlin 10k Invitational III in March where he ran his 27:50.
“I am looking forward to the Absa CAPE TOWN 12K CITYRUN on 21 November,” said Obenyo from his training base in Iten. “The Olympics were unfortunate for me so this is a big opportunity for me to end the year on a high and I will be looking to break the 12km World Best. I have trained hard for it and am confident I can lower the Best. I know Morris (Munene Gachaga) and I know that he is a very good athlete, so I know the time will be tough to break, but I am very confident of setting a new World Best.”
“In addition to being a fun-filled event that encourages everyone to embrace the magnificence of the Mother City, the Absa CAPE TOWN 12K CITYRUN is also renowned for quality racing. We are excited to see both SA and the world’s best athletes toe the line for what is guaranteed to be an epic 12km battle in the streets of Cape Town on Sunday 21 November,” says Cape Town Executive Mayor Dan Plato.
EVENT INFORMATION: Absa CAPE TOWN 12K CITYRUN
Date: Sunday 21 November 2021
Start Venue: Woodbridge Island, Milnerton
Finish Venue: Lower Long Street, Cape Town CBD
Entry Fee:
• Standard (Licensed Runner): R 225.00
• Temporary License: R 40.00
Facebook: Ctown12
Instagram: @capetown_12
Hashtag: #RunYourCity
Websites: www.thecapetown12.com
About Absa
Absa Group is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and is one of Africa’s largest diversified financial services groups.
Absa Group offers an integrated set of products and services across personal and business banking, corporate and investment banking, wealth and investment management and insurance.
Absa operates in fourteen countries. The Group owns majority stakes in banks in Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania (Absa Bank Tanzania and National Bank of Commerce), Uganda and Zambia and has insurance operations in Botswana, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zambia. Absa also has representative offices in Namibia and Nigeria, and securities entities in the United Kingdom and the United States.
For further information about Absa Group Limited, please visit www.absa.africa
About the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series
A proudly South African mass participation road running series, the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series has been revolutionizing the sport since 2015. A road running celebration like no other, the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series comprises three unique events namely the Absa CAPE TOWN 12K CITYRUN (launched in 2015), the Absa DURBAN 10K CITYRUN (launched in 2017) and the Absa JOBURG 10K CITYRUN (launched in 2016).
A diverse road running series, the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series integrates businesses, families, investment in community, world class achievement and fun for all participants.
For further information please visit https://runyourcityseries.com/
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