SA Cross Country Champion Pheko targets second consecutive Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series podium on Heritage Day

Image: Tobias Ginsberg

Newly crowned national cross-country champion Zenzile Pheko has firmly established himself as one of the country’s in-form 10km runners and now turns his attention to the Absa RUN YOUR CITY JOBURG 10K at Mary Fitzgerald Square on National Heritage Day, Thursday, 24 September 2026.

The Boxer Athletics Club athlete produced the best Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series performance of his career in Tshwane on 23 August, just weeks after a back injury disrupted what he had hoped would be a strong showing over the distance at the Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K on 12 July.

Pheko went back to the drawing board and responded emphatically, clocking a blistering 13:52 over 5km at altitude at the Zet Sinqe Series at Vosloorus Stadium. That performance laid the foundation for his breakthrough in Tshwane, where he stormed to second place in 28:55 behind Kenya’s Salem Kibet.

“It was a big moment for me. It was big because it was the first time I was on the podium in the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series. Before that, my best performance was fifth place on my debut at the Absa RUN YOUR CITY GQEBERHA 10K earlier this year, then I finished in 21st position in Durban. In Pretoria, I was so happy because it’s something I had never achieved before,” he said.

Pheko continued his impressive run of form at the ASA Cross Country Championships at Curro Hazeldean, where the Munsieville (Krugersdorp area in Gauteng) resident produced a sensational performance to claim the senior men’s 10km title. He left a quality field in his wake, including national marathon record holder Elroy Gelant, Bennet Seloyi and Chris Mhlanga, who finished as the runner-up at the cross-country championships and third in the Tshwane leg of the country’s premier 10km series.

With the Absa RUN YOUR CITY JOBURG 10K now firmly in his sights, the 21-year-old is relishing the prospect of testing himself against a strong East African contingent on Heritage Day, insisting that he will not be intimidated.

“I’m very happy because I know that in the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series, I will face a strong challenge. So this win has boosted my confidence going into the race at Mary Fitzgerald Square on Heritage Day. I am not scared of the Kenyans. I expect them to come out guns blazing, but I’m not afraid of the challenge. I’m feeling a bit fluish, so hopefully I will recover on time. I expect a top-10 finish, but I will fight for a podium.”

Having made an immediate impact in the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series, Pheko has already established himself as one to watch, says Michael Meyer, Managing Director of Stillwater Sports:

“Although new to the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series, Zenzile is already making his presence felt in a big way,” says Meyer. “His second-place finish in Tshwane was a breakthrough performance, and to see him backing that up by winning the national cross-country title shows just how quickly he is developing. We’re excited to see what he can do in Joburg on Heritage Day, where he’ll once again have the opportunity to test himself against some of the best athletes in the country and from across East Africa.”