Mulaudzi was aiming to improve his personal best of 27:41, but the injury disrupted his plans and he settled for sixth place in 28:06.

He was also the only South African to finish inside the top 10 in a race dominated by East African athletes.

After becoming the first runner to win four Absa Run Your City races in a single calendar year, the Boxer Running Club athlete is now targeting another victory at the Union Buildings on 23 August.

"Yeah, before my hamstring pulled, I was feeling good, but when it pulled, I started thinking too much. I had to hold back a little bit because I was scared that if I pulled, I would be out for the whole season. The next one is going to be ABSA Tshwane, so I hope I can defend my title. Now I just have to go see the physio and recover so that I can be ready for Tshwane. So far, I can see my fitness is there. If it hadn't been for my hamstring, I would have run a personal best today," said Mulaudzi

READ: Taylor Kavanagh to miss Spar Tshwane 10km due to Commonwealth Games

The 28-year-old, who is coached by Richard Meyer, admitted he feared the worst when he felt the injury during the race.

Mulaudzi had only recently returned to competition after recovering from a lower back injury that forced him to miss two races earlier in the series.

Rather than risk a more serious setback, he decided to manage the injury carefully as he continues his pursuit of Maxime Chaumeton’s South African 10km record of 26:55.

"I will be worse and will be out for the season, so I have to be careful because the season is still long. I still have two ABSA's, Hollywood, and cross-country, so I have to be careful. I honestly think we need pacemakers because the course is faster than last year. The experience was good; I want to thank the race organizers ."

Despite the setback, Mulaudzi believes he had the pace to challenge for a podium finish in Durban.

He says the hamstring problem prevented him from producing his best performance and that he had to be smart to avoid making the injury worse.

After the Tshwane race, Mulaudzi will head overseas to compete in a half-marathon as he continues building towards his long-term goal of qualifying for the marathon at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

He also described it as a special experience to line up alongside Ugandan legend Joshua Cheptegei at the Durban 10km race.

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