Could the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon pass the elusive 10,000 mark ?
Least Expensive
The Knysna Heads Marathon provides amazing value at R1.90 / km . The scenery along the course and race organisation are also top notch , and I ’ d highly recommend this event for a marathon weekend away . Also , having run most of the events on this list , including the Knysna Heads Marathon , Memel Ultra , Prince Mangosuthu 52km , Human Rights Real Gijimas 50km and Bruintjieshoogte 50km , I can tell you that there are plenty of great options for the cost-conscious runner here .
Finisher Numbers
COVID restrictions on field size impacted many of the events in the early part of the year , but somewhat surprisingly , only 18 events managed 1000 finishers or more ( compared to 33 in 2019 ). Although there was plenty of moaning and social media chatter about entry fees , the most expensive races are still the most popular . Comrades topped the table and was the only event with more than 10,000 finishers . The Cape Town Marathon is still lurking just under five figures , and I don ’ t think a standard marathon has ever had more than 10,000 finishers in South Africa .
Perhaps the biggest surprise on this table is that Om Die Dam , which was the fifth-largest ultra and only 11th-largest overall in 2019 , was third overall and leapfrogged the once mighty Two Oceans as second-largest ultra in 2022 . Hartbeesport Marathon Club ’ s Om Die Dam is also the largest club-organised event on the list , whilst Benoni Northerns takes the honour for the most popular club-organised standard marathon in sixth place overall .
Entry Fee Increases
Comrades doubling down on their entry fee only made it to number two on the list of highest percentage increases , but it was nevertheless by far the biggest Rand amount increase at R600 . Although the Eastern Cape is the cheapest province to run marathons in , the Amathole Marathon ( run from Stutterheim to King Williams Town ) topped the table after doubling their entry fee and adding an additional 15 % for VAT .
Images : Nick Muzik & Stuart Mann
Despite inflationary pressures and the additional COVID regulatory costs , 15 events managed to maintain their entry fees , and two , the Bielie Mielie Marathon and the Uniwisp Fast 50km , actually decreased their entry fees in 2022 ! ( Note : The calculations in these two tables are based on the highest entry fee between 2019 and 2021 .)
Meanwhile , I can assure you that bigger is not always better , and there are some absolute gems on the smallest finishers table . The smallest was Golden Gate with just 21 finishers . ( I ran their inaugural event in 2019 , and it ’ s a straight toss-up as to whether this event or 13th-placed Surrender Hill is the best marathon in the Free State ). The Powerade Marakele Marathon is another must-do event – a beautiful , but very hilly out-and-back marathon through a Big
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