Distance runner Adriaan Wildschutt has confirmed he will make his 21km debut at the Valencia Half-Marathon in Spain on 26 October.
Not only will it be his first appearance over the distance, but Wildschutt has revealed he will be targeting the South African half-marathon record of 59:36 set by Stephen Mokoka in Poland five years ago.
“I am so excited to announce that I will make my half-marathon debut in Valencia this year,” Wildschutt said in a social media post.
He continued: “The South African record, I believe is 59:36, this will be my primary goal. Gonna put in the hard work.”
Wildschutt already holds four national records, over the 3 000m (7:32.99), 5 000m (12:55.02) and 10 000m (26:50.64) distances on the track, as well as the 10km event on the road after running 27:28 at the Absa Run Your City race in Gqeberha in April.
One the best distance runners South Africa has ever produced, he has also proved he can race against the best.
A former World Student Games bronze medallist, 27-year-old Wildschutt finished 10th in the 10 000m races at both the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris and the recent World Athletics Championships in Tokyo earlier this month.
* Featured image of Adriaan Wildschutt by Cecilia van Bers
