Humorous Anecdotes, Observations & Accounts of Marathon Running & Agile Adventures.
This article provides detailed information on all South Africa’s April 2024 marathons including race descriptions and recommendations. You can find the full 2024 marathon / ultra calendar here.
A summary of your choices is below:
This article provides detailed information on all South Africa’s March 2024 marathons including race descriptions and recommendations. You can find the full 2024 marathon / ultra calendar here.
A summary of your choices is below:
This article provides detailed information on all South Africa’s April 2023 marathons including race descriptions and recommendations. You can find the full 2023 marathon / ultra calendar here.
A summary of your choices is below:
This article provides detailed information on all South Africa’s March 2023 marathons including race descriptions and recommendations. You can find the full 2023 marathon / ultra calendar here.
A summary of your choices is below:
This article provides detailed information on all South Africa’s October marathons and ultras including race descriptions, recommendations and travel information.
It’s a bit late so I’m just doing the basics this month. Will try to get the November / December article out with more time to spare!
A summary of all your choices is below:
Continue reading “The Running Mann’s Guide to October 2022 Marathons”
This article provides detailed information on all South Africa’s August and September marathons and ultras including race descriptions, recommendations and travel information.
An August Comrades’ means that there is no much happening over these two months but the few options available are quality runs.
A summary of all your choices is below:
Continue reading “The Running Mann’s Guide to August / September 2022 Marathons & Ultras”
This article provides detailed information on all South Africa’s July marathons and ultras including race descriptions, recommendations and travel information.
It’s slim pickings in July with just ten confirmed marathons and ultras at the time of writing.
A summary of all your choices is below:
Continue reading “The Running Mann’s Guide to July 2022 Marathons & Ultras”
Prudent South African runners only plan their running year BC (before Comrades). When you’re running Comrades in June, it is presumptuous to plan anything for the second half of the year. Having ended 2017 with 89 unique marathons, I realised that I could reach my goal of 100 unique marathons in 2018 BC via a combination of three factors: good health, extensive travel and a very understanding wife.
Everything went perfectly to plan: After 13 consecutive marathon running weekends all around the country (with just three repeat races: Om Die Dam, Two Oceans and Jackie Gibson), it was now time to conclude the 100 unique marathons goal. When picking a milestone marathon, many people would pick a large, flashy and prestigious marathon – but there’s a big risk of getting “Phantom Menanced” and the hype not living up to expectations.
South Africa hosts the two biggest (and greatest) ultra marathons in the world: Two Oceans and Comrades. I’ve been asked many times about the difference between the two. My philosophical view is that if you are a teenager in love, Two Oceans is the sweet, charming, beautiful girl that you should marry. Comrades is the girl that’s way out of your league but is malevolent enough to string you along, thinking you have a chance – only to break your heart (and your body) after crushing your spirit and ripping out your soul.
Growing up in Cape Town, Two Oceans was my “girl next door” – and it was as a teenager that I fell in love with her. I had just started high school at Rondebosch Boys and they asked for volunteers to hold up kilometre boards over the first 15km and man (or in my case “boy”) the last support table on the route. This seemed like a really good idea since I could support my Dad (The Old Running Mann) and we were told we could drink as much Coca-Cola as we liked on the day. In future years Rustenburg Girls School were invited to partner us at the table (which made the proposition even more attractive!). Continue reading “Two Oceans (A Love Letter To My Favourite Ultra)”
Running Om Die Dam is a bit like having kids:
