Course Records Shattered in 10km Peace Run at Sanlam Cape Town Marathon

Cape Town, South Africa – Misty, wind-still conditions provided the perfect setting for South African stars Maxime Chaumeton and Tayla Kavanagh to rewrite the record books at the 10km Peace Run on Saturday, 23 May. In spite of running unchallenged most of the way, both winners comfortably broke the previous course records by a huge 12-second margin. The 10km Peace Run forms part of a full weekend of racing at the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, which will be run on Sunday, 24 May.

In the men’s 10km race, South African 10km Record-holder Chaumaton crossed the line in 27:41, comprehensively beating the 27:53 posted by Adriaan Wildschutt in 2023 (which till now had been the only sub-28-minute time run in this event). His average pace for the race was an incredible 2:37 minutes per kilometre. Second place went to Thapelo Ramokhoase in 28:34, with Cwenga Nose taking third in 29:00.

Kavanagh took the women’s title for the third consecutive year with a blistering 31:25, improving her personal best by eight seconds in the process, and moving her up from 11^th to sixth on the all-time SA Performance list of times run by South African women. (She remains the fourth-fastest South African woman over 10km.) Second over the line was Kyla Jacobs in 32:48, with Lesotho’s Neheng Khatala rounding out the podium position with a 33:02 finishing time.

Kavanagh Claims Her Hattrick

The elite women set off first, with the elite men following seven minutes later. This gave the women an open road to race on, and Kavanagh accelerated away from the field within the first kilometre, opening a 29-second lead by the turn near halfway. She won the women’s title in 2024 in 32:38, then retained that title in 2025 with a (then) personal best and course record 31:37. This year’s win also makes her the first woman to claim three wins in this race.

Kavanagh has been in scintillating form in recent months, improving her 10km PB to 31:33 (also in Cape Town) and claiming the national titles for 5000m and 10,000m at the SA Champs in Stellenbosch. Having completed her hattrick of victories in the Sanlam Peace Run 10km, she says today was all about the win. “I’m really, really stoked. I really wanted three wins out of three here, so that’s quite special, and it was even more special to do it in an adidas-sponsored race, in my adidas colours. I really love this race!”

“The weather was perfect today, and I was really blessed to execute a good race. Last year we ran with the men, and you always get pulled along by them, whereas today it was a solo race for me, but I always train by myself, so I just locked into that same mindset and feeling, and the body responded nicely. I was actually surprised that I ran a PB, as I wasn’t really going for that. I usually race on feel and effort, not time, so I only looked at my watch once during the race, and getting the PB is a really nice cherry on top for me.

Mission Accomplished for Chaumeton

Having improved the SA Record to 26:55 in October 2025, making him the only South African man to dip below the 27-minute mark for 10km, all eyes were on Chaumeton in the elite men’s race. Being based in Europe much of the year, he only competes in South Africa a few times each year, and he made the most of the fast, flat course and excellent conditions to chase the course record in the Mother City.

“This win and this course record really mean a lot to me. I don’t run in South Africa often, but this is my country, and I always try my best to represent it as best as I can whenever I race,” says Chaumeton. “The course record was the main target today, not trying for another sub-27, because I am building up to my track season and have to be careful what I do. A sub-27 takes a lot out of the legs, so today was just about trying to get that course record, and I’m very happy that I got it.

After winning the race, Chaumeton stayed at the finish line to congratulate the next few runners home, and had positive things to say about second-placed Thapelo Ramokhoase and the rest of the elite field. “There is so much talent in this country, and in my opinion, much bigger talents than me. Thapelo has so much potential to run a sub-28, and once you do that, things really open up for you, like they did for me a few years back. I think it’s the most important thing for all of us to help and motivate each other as much as we can.”

16,000 Peace Runners in Action

The programme for Saturday’s racing included the 10km Peace Run as well as its accompanying 5km Peace Run, plus the three Trail Runs that are ‘curtain-raisers to the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon. In total, these events have a combined field of 44,500 participants this year, with the 10km selling out all 11,500 entries, and approximately 4,500 taking part in the Peace Run 5km

The first man over the line in the 5km was Spanish junior Iker Ortega Castro, with Carmen Kensley the with first woman home. A notable third place in the men’s 5km was claimed by Berlin Marathon Race Director Mark Wilde, who attended this year’s event as an invited guest of the event. The Berlin Marathon is one of the current Abbott World Marathon Majors events, and the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon is set to also become a Major after this year’s race, with the Moter City event nearing completion of phase 2 of the candidacy process.

Also in action today was a huge contingent of Sanlam employees, giving the title sponsor of the event an even bigger presence. “Seeing over 3,000 Sanlam employees from across the continent come together to take part in this year’s Peace Runs is a powerful reminder of what confidence in action really looks like. From the 10km and 5km routes to the shared energy in the staff zone, there is a genuine sense of camaraderie that reflects who we are as a business,” says Shadi Chauke, Group Executive for Corporate Affairs and Sustainability at Sanlam

“At Sanlam, we believe that confidence is built through people, through showing up for one another and supporting each other over time. Moments like this speak to the importance we place on employee wellbeing, not only physically, but in building connection, resilience and a shared sense of purpose. It is this collective spirit that continues to bring African Champions Unite to life, reminding us that progress is not achieved alone, but together as a community,” adds Chauke.

More Action Tomorrow

The running festival continues on Sunday with the flagship Sanlam Cape Town Marathon. Boasting 27,000 starters and the fastest field ever assembled for a marathon on African soil, many are predicting that the course records will fall, as well as the South African and African All-comers records. The race will be live-streamed on the event’s YouTube channel, @thecapetownmarathon, from 07:35 to 11:35, followed by a live stream of the finish line until cut-off at 15:50.

PEACE RUN 10KM RESULTS

Men:

1 Maxime Chaumeton (South Africa)                 27:42

2 Thapelo Ramokhoase (South Africa)              28:34

3 Cwenga Nose (South Africa)                            29:00

4 Arthur Jantjies (South Africa)                           29:19

5 Luan Munnik (South Africa)                              29:23

6 Awethu Ntsotho (South Africa)                         29:27

7 Dewayne Mouries (South Africa)                     30:03

8 Yanga Malusi(South Africa)                              30:04

9 Keaton Lott (South Africa)                                30:17

10 Alex Drover (Canada)                                      30:27

Women:

1 Tayla Kavanagh (South Africa)                        31:26

2 Kyla Jacobs (South Africa)                               32:48

3 Neheng Khatala (Lesotho)                                33:02

4 Cacisile Sosibo (South Africa)                         33:03

5 Carina Viljoen (South Africa)                            33:25

6 Kirsti Bell (South Africa)                                    35:50

7 Mokgadi Semenya (South Africa)                    35:54

8 Marie-Tinka Olivier (South Africa)                   36:05

9 Riana Nel (South Africa)                                   36:43

10 Kimara Solms (South Africa)                          36:46

PEACE RUN 5KM RESULTS

 

Men:

1 Iker Ortega Castro (Spain)                                17:14

2 Jiunhung Chen (Taipei)                                     17:28

3 Mark Milde (Germany)                                       17:30

Women:

1 Carmen Kensley (South Africa)                       17:53

2 Michelle Geldenhuys (South Africa)                18:07

3 Emma Winter (Great Britain)                            18:12

For more information, please send an email to media@capetownmarathon.com or visit www.capetownmarathon.com.