Taylor Kavanagh gears up for Boxer 5km event

The race remains the richest 5km event in South Africa, offering a R20 000 winner’s prize and a total purse of R147 200.

The Hollywood Athletics Club star returns for the third edition of the event after finishing fourth in 16:33 last year.

This time, she is determined to reach the podium in her hometown race.

The 23-year-old has been showing encouraging signs of a comeback, winning the Durban International 10km earlier this year and clocking a sub-32-minute time for the first time in years at the Totalsports Women’s 10km.

Just two weeks ago, she produced one of her best runs of the year with a 32:01 finish for second place at the Spar Women’s 10km Challenge in Gqeberha.

She skipped last week’s Johannesburg leg of the series to focus fully on the 5km event in Durban.

Kavanagh told SABC Sport that she is pleased with her progress after a few difficult seasons affected by injury and poor form.

“It’s great to have a shorter-distance event along the Durban beachfront. It’s a fun route and a good test of one’s speed. I’ve done many 10km races this year, and I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to race a shorter distance.

“I’m excited to test myself against some of the best runners this weekend,” she said.

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Leading the women’s lineup will be in-form Glenrose Xaba, who has dominated the domestic road running circuit this year, alongside Cacisile Sosibo, Karabo Mailula, and other top contenders.

However, Kavanagh believes that racing in front of her home crowd will give her an extra edge.

 “The local support is always special and motivating. I’m really looking forward to racing in Durban in front of my family and friends — that’s my biggest source of inspiration.”