Compiled by Sean Falconer , with Riël Hauman and Stuart Mann
THE RUNNING MANN
C o l u m n
SA ’ s ‘ Oldest ’ Marathons
Compiled by Sean Falconer , with Riël Hauman and Stuart Mann
The list of South African standard marathon ( 42.2km ) events that have been run the most times features 22 races that have been held 40 times or more , up to and including some 2024 editions already held this year . Topping the list is the SA Marathon Championship , which is the clear leader on 92 editions to date , but this event is actually in a sub-section of its own , as it has always rotated between various venues around the country , and various organising teams , and these days the Champs usually ‘ piggyback ’ another event , like the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon or the Durban International Marathon .
Besides the SA Champs , all the events on this list are organised by the same club ( and / or event company ), in the same town or city , and can thus be called ‘ club marathons .’ The Jackie Gibson Marathon , with 77 editions up till 2023 , was the longest-standing such event on the SA road running calendar , but sadly , is no longer being held . Next on the list is the DAC Marathon , which was discontinued more than 20 years ago , while the Amathola Marathon appears to have fallen by the wayside as well – at least for now , due to the bad condition of roads in the
Eastern Cape . This makes the Peninsula Marathon the longest-standing , ongoing standard ‘ club marathon ’ in SA at present .
Many of these races have seen date , venue , route , name and / or sponsor changes through the years , but the basic event remains the same , hence the final count for each race . Some statisticians therefore consider the new Johannesburg City Marathon as the logical extension of the Jackie Gibson Marathon , but the organising club considers it a completely new event , so for the purposes of this list , we are following suit and counting them seperately .
There are a number of other discrepancies between sources of these stats , possibly due to records of the early years of some races being lost , or two or more races inadvertently being added together even though they are actually separate events , and we have noted these events as well . If anybody has new information to add to this debate , please send it to letters @ modernathlete . co . za .
Nr Races Event Province Last Run Notes
1 ( 92 ) SA Marathon Championship Various April 2024
The Peninsula Marathon is now the longeststanding club marathon in SA
2 77 Jackie Gibson Marathon Central Gauteng 2023 Discontinued 3 68 DAC Marathon KwaZulu-Natal 2001 Discontinued 4 56 Amathola Marathon Border 2022 Cancelled in 2023 & 2024 5 56 Peninsula Marathon Western Province February 2024 6 54 Diamond Marathon Griqualand West March 2024
The 2023 Jackie Gibson Marathon was the 77th edition of this old favourite
7 |
50 * |
Bonkolo ( Bongola ) Marathon |
Border |
November 2023 * |
7 |
50 |
Buffs Marathon |
Border |
February 2024 |
7 |
50 |
Pretoria Marathon |
Gauteng North |
February 2024 |
8 |
49 |
Vaal Marathon |
Vaal Triangle |
March 2024 |
9 |
46 |
Hillcrest Marathon |
KwaZulu-Natal |
February 2024 |
9 |
46 |
Wally Hayward Marathon |
Gauteng North |
May 2024 |
10 |
45 |
Mielie Marathon |
Free State |
February 2024 |
|
10 |
45 |
Cango Marathon |
South Western Districts |
March 2024 |
|
10 |
45 |
Standerton Goldi Marathon |
Mpumalanga |
March 2024 |
|
11 |
44 |
Battlefields Marathon |
KwaZulu-Natal |
2023 |
Not scheduled in 2024 |
The Diamond Marathon has stood the test of time
The Bonkolo Marathon was run for the 50th time this year
11 44 * Masters Marathon Border October 2023 * 11 44 * Winelands Marathon Western Province November 2023 * 11 44 Sasol Marathon ( Secunda ) Mpumalanga March 2024 12 43 * Voet van Afrika Marathon Boland Sept 2023 * 12 43 Johnson Crane Marathon Central Gauteng January 2024
The Pretoria Marathon also celebrated its 50th edition in 2024
13 40 Friendly City Marathon Eastern Province 2019 Discontinued
* Races marked with an asterisk must still take place in 2024 , whereas other events already have a 2024 edition added . Races in red are no longer or currently not on the calendar .
Other Disputed Numbers
• Sasol Marathon ( Sasolburg , Free State ): Some sources list this event as having had 72 editions , or at least 44 , while others say just 29 . At the time of publishing , no extra information had been found yet .
• Benoni Northerns ( Central Gauteng ): One source says this race has been run 67 times , having originally been the Golden Reef Marathon , with results dating back to 1957 . However , the Golden Reef event was on the West Rand side of Joburg , while the Benoni Northerns event is on the East Rand . The Benoni Northerns organisers say their event is definitely only in its 30s . In this case , two races may have inadvertantly been ‘ joined ,’ e . g . if the Golden Reef Marathon was on the calendar for some 30-odd years and was then discontinued , but the date was taken up by a new Benoni Northerns event and perhaps mistakenly reported / listed as the replacement of the Golden Reef event .
• Bluff Marathon ( Border ): The Runner ’ s Guide to South African Races lists this event as having well over 40 editions , but the organising club has confirmed it offered only a half marathon for many years , and only re-introduced a marathon around 2016 or 2018 . Therefore , the age of the event may be in the 40s , but the marathon itself is not .
• Kloppers Marathon ( Free Sate ): One source says this race was run for the 40 th time in 2019 , but the 2024 race flyer prominently advertises the 33 rd edition .
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