This article provides detailed information on all South Africa’s December 2024 marathons and ultras including race descriptions and recommendations. You can find the full 2024 marathon / ultra calendar here.
A summary of your choices is below:
If you want to put a down payment on your Christmas dinner (or work some of the festive excesses off), then a December marathon is a good way to do so.
There’s just four confirmed options. First out of the starting blocks is the Nelson Mandela Bay 1City Marathon which starts and finishes at the Fairview horse racing track. This is a fairly flat marathon with the second half that is has been compared favorably to running around Benoni.
You second choice that same weekend is also in the Eastern Cape with the Mdantsane Marathon. Mdantsane is the second largest township in South Africa (after Soweto) and the sophomore year of this event promises to be both hilly and vibey.
On the 15th there is a brand new event in Taung, the Ditau Diarora Marathon. Taung translates as ‘The Place of the Lion’ and is on the extremities of the North West Province. I plan to find out if the 5 hour drive from Johannesburg for this marathon is worth it.
The final confirmed marathon is the Nzhelele Valley Marathon which is about 30 minutes form Louis Trichardt in northern Limpopo. With the race being held on 28 December, last year I treated myself to one last marathon for the year and my wife to a romantic weekend in Louis Trichardt. The route is undulating with a few good hills, starting from the township and taking one to the natural beauty of the Nzhelele Valley. River views and indigenous baobab trees along the route gives the race a natural breath of clean air.
December
Nelson Mandela Bay 1City Marathon (Sat 7 Dec): Confirmed
| Race Description | The first 18km are run in a loop with the half marathoners, after which there is a long out and back section, The highest point of the course is reached at the 25.5km mark and the total ascent/descent is 273m/274m respectively. |
| Detailed Report | 1City Marathon (Benoni by the beach): https://runningmann.co.za/2024/02/07/1city-marathon/ |
| Race Date | Saturday 07 December 2024 |
| Location | Gqeberha, EC |
| Start Venue | Fairview Racecourse, Gqeberha |
| Route Type | Circular |
| Race Website | www.epathletics.co.za |
| Contact Details | epa@epathletics.co.za; irene@epathletics.co.za; |
| Distance | 42 |
| Online Entries | https://www.webtickets.co.za/v2/Event.aspx?itemid=1553462487 |
| Pre-entries Close | Tuesday 03 December 2024 |
| Entry Fee | R240 |
| Included Extras | – |
| Late entries | Yes (R20 extra for late entries) |
| Title sponsor | Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality |
| Permanent Numbers | No |
| How to get there from Joburg? | Fly to Gqeberha and 30km (30m) drive or 1,050km (11h) drive |
| Accommodation Options | There are a number of great hotels along the promenade for various budgets including The Boardwalk Hotel and Casino, The Radisson Blu Hotel, The Garden Court Hotel and the Courtyard Hotel. There are also well priced B&B options a short drive from the beach. |
| What else to do there? | The Eastern Cape brands itself is ‘the adventure capital of South Africa’. Activities include big 5 game viewing, the longest zipline in SA, great blue flag beaches and sand boarding. Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth) has earned the nickname, ‘The Friendly City’ for its incredible hospitality. |
| Normal Finishers | +/- 500 |
| Which year was the race started? | 2016 |
| How many previous events have been held? | 8 |
| Cutoff time | 5h30 |
| First prize value | 12000 |
| Route Elevation (total climbing) | 339 |
Mdantsane Marathon (Sat 7 Dec): Confirmed
| Race Description | From the organizer, “The First 10km are run outside of Mdantsane to allow overview of Location area, then it will pass famous Mdantsane City Mall, Passing Mgxaji House (Famous Boxing Legends). The race will pass along entrance of Mdantsane, Yako Garage, going through Mdantsane Police Station, Ekoneni Butchery, Dr Rubusana College, Jeff Plac, passing Cecilia Makiwane. This race is 398m Elevation, it is a very hilly race with a lot of down hills, cramps will be a major factor. Around 30km the race is more flat and enjoyable, runners to be careful of the last hill to Sasol Garage. The Race covers most of our beautiful township and runners will enjoy the scenery as they receive support from the community. We will also pass on former IBF Boxer Zolani Tete House at NU 12, with the view of Egyton Bus Boycott and Massacre. 10km and 5KM races will start 45min later to allow traffic and marathon runners to clear, the shorter distances accommodate young athletes and 5km Fun Run for Families to enjoy this race also. All Walkers are also welcomed to participate on 10km and 5km Races. The total ascent/descent is 396m/398m respectively. For out of town runners, there is accommodation around Mdantsane and all vehicles to be parked inside the Stadium where the finish is.” |
| Detailed Report | -: – |
| Race Date | Saturday 07 December 2024 |
| Location | Mdantsane, EC |
| Start Venue | Winter Rose Stadium, Mdantsane, EC |
| Route Type | Circular |
| Race Website | https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090007369662&mibextid=b06tZ0 |
| Contact Details | borderlegendsfoundation@gmail.com |
| Distance | 42 |
| Online Entries | https://www.webtickets.co.za/v2/Event.aspx?itemid=1553074932 |
| Pre-entries Close | ? |
| Entry Fee | R250 |
| Included Extras | Race pack (incl. shirt) |
| Late entries | ? – |
| Title sponsor | None |
| Permanent Numbers | No |
| How to get there from Joburg? | Fly to East London; 30km (45m) drive to Mdantsane or 100km (10h) drive |
| Accommodation Options | There are a number of great hotels along the esplanade and in Mdantsane promenade for various budgets including Premier Hotel ICC, Kennaway Hotel, Garden Court Hotel. There are also well priced B&B options a short drive from the City Center. Otherwise check out Google for B&B and hotels in the East London. |
| What else to do there? | Explore the local beaches – good for swimming, surfing, fishing or just relaxing; Some excellent private game reserves are closeby to see Africa’s big game by land as well as whales and sharks by boat. Check out https://www.eastlondon.org.za/tourism.html for more. |
| Normal Finishers | +/- 100 |
| Which year was the race started? | 2023 |
| How many previous events have been held? | 1 |
| Cutoff time | ? |
| First prize value | ? |
| Route Elevation (total climbing) | 791 |
Ditau Diarora Marathon (Sun 15 Dec): Cancelled
| Race Description | Taung is a seTswana word meaning “a place of lions” and the name of the marathon “Ditau Diarora” means “Lions are roaring”. From the website, “The route course is fairly flat on a bitumen “tar” road, except 2km on gravel road between N18 and Mokgareng. The 42km race starts and finishes at Taung Hospital Sports Ground. Runners will turn right at Blekkies towards Chiefscourt and passes Ba-Ga-Phuduhucwana Tribal Council , from there runners will cruises past Mmabana Taung, Taung Agricultural College, PH Mooketsi Agricultural High School, Taung Sports Complex, Taung Mall, villages of Mokgareng, Rooiwal, Matolong, Maphoitsile and Manokwane.” |
| Detailed Report | -: – |
| Race Date | Sunday 15 December 2024 |
| Location | Taung, NW |
| Start Venue | Taung Community Hospital Sports Ground |
| Route Type | Circular |
| Race Website | – |
| Contact Details | ditaudiaroraac@gmail.com |
| Distance | 42 |
| Online Entries | https://www.entryninja.com/events/80639-ditau-diarora-marathon |
| Pre-entries Close | ? |
| Entry Fee | R200 |
| Included Extras | Shirt |
| Late entries | ? – |
| Title sponsor | None |
| Permanent Numbers | No |
| How to get there from Joburg? | 400km (5h) drive south west |
| Accommodation Options | ? |
| What else to do there? | Check out the Taung Skull World Heritage Site |
| Normal Finishers | N/A |
| Which year was the race started? | 2024 |
| How many previous events have been held? | 0 |
| Cutoff time | ? |
| First prize value | ? |
| Route Elevation (total climbing) | ? |
Madiba’s Last Route Marathon (Mon 16 Dec): Cancelled
| Race Description | Formerly the Heroes Marathon. This is a friendly, relaxed, point-to-point race from Mthatha airport to Qunu (pronounced [ˈk͡ǃuːnu]) – which is where Nelson Mandela grew up and is buried. The race route traces some of the steps the great man walked in the past. The first part of the route is from the airport back into Mthatha town and then you have a brutal climb as you head out along the N2 towards Qunu. Although you’re running along the national road, there are plenty of traffic police present ensuring that the runners are safe and the drivers calm. |
| Detailed Report | Heroes Marathon, Mthatha (Back2Back Marathon Weekend): http://runningmann.co.za/2017/12/18/heroes-marathon-mthatha/ |
| Race Date | Monday 16 December 2024 |
| Location | Mthatha, EC |
| Start Venue | Mthatha |
| Route Type | Point-to-point |
| Race Website | – |
| Contact Details | maxambelaneo13@gmail.com |
| Distance | 42 |
| Online Entries | Saturday 00 January 1900 |
| Pre-entries Close | ? |
| Entry Fee | ? |
| Included Extras | Shirt (first 500 entries) |
| Late entries | ? – |
| Title sponsor | None |
| Permanent Numbers | No |
| How to get there from Joburg? | Expensive flight into Mthatha or Fly to East London & 230km (3h15) drive to Mthatha |
| Accommodation Options | Check out Google for B&B and hotel options |
| What else to do there? | Visit Nelson Mandela’s home and the Nelson Mandela Museum or use as a base to explore the beautiful Transkei landscape. |
| Normal Finishers | +/- 300 |
| Which year was the race started? | ? |
| How many previous events have been held? | ? |
| Cutoff time | ? |
| First prize value | ? |
| Route Elevation (total climbing) | ? |
Nzhelele Valley Marathon (Sat 28 Dec): Confirmed
| Race Description | The route is undulating with a few good hills, starting from the township and taking one to the natural beauty of the Nzhelele Valley. River views and indigenous baobab trees along the route gives the race a natural breath of clean air. The turn around point is at the Nzhelele Dam. The Nzhelele River is named after the unique direction it flows. Unlike other rivers, it flows from east to west. The name Nzhelele means exactly that – upside down |
| Detailed Report | Elias Resort Marathon (Don’t they know it’s Christmas time at all?): https://runningmann.co.za/2024/02/20/elias-resort-marathon/ |
| Race Date | Saturday 28 December 2024 |
| Location | Nzhelele, Lim |
| Start Venue | Makhado CPD center (Formerly Makhado College of Education) Biaba Township |
| Route Type | Out-and-back |
| Race Website | https://www.facebook.com/groups/717944699654842 |
| Contact Details | mrudzma@yahoo.com |
| Distance | 42 |
| Online Entries | https://www.webtickets.co.za/v2/Event.aspx?itemid=1554613898 |
| Pre-entries Close | Tuesday 24 December 2024 |
| Entry Fee | R290 |
| Included Extras | Shirt (first 250 entries) |
| Late entries | Yes |
| Title sponsor | None |
| Permanent Numbers | No |
| How to get there from Joburg? | 500km (5h30) drive north east |
| Accommodation Options | Check out Google for B&B and hotel options |
| What else to do there? | https://golimpopo.com/tour-item/louis-trichardt/ Verwoerd tunnels, Thathe rain forest, Tshipise Hotsprings, Beitbridge bordergate, Kokwane Footprint, Lake Fundudzi, Tswime Breathing Stone, Mapungubwe heritage site and Dzata Ruins |
| Normal Finishers | +/- 100 |
| Which year was the race started? | 2023 |
| How many previous events have been held? | 1 |
| Cutoff time | 6h30 |
| First prize value | 5000 |
| Route Elevation (total climbing) | 591 |
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I like your picture of Julian. Very atmospheric. You are becoming a very good photographer at catching the right moment.