The Running Mann’s Guide to April 2026 Marathons

The planet’s second largest ultra marathon, Two Oceans, headlines the second weekend. The race that was started as a training run for Comrades is back for its 55^th running in 2026. After various controversies and organizational blunders in recent years, the race is going through a renaissance and promises a much better runner experience in 2026. After a flat first half through Cape Town’s southern suburbs and alongside the Indian Ocean, you get to climb one of the most beautiful passes in the world, Chapman’s Peak Drive. A drop into Hout Bay gets you to the marathon mark and this is followed by 4km of extreme nastiness called Constantia Nek. The last 10km are mainly downhill with a few bumps along the way until you ‘earn your undergraduate degree’ at University of Cape Town.

For those not travelling to the Cape, there are three other options, all of them in KwaZulu Natal. The Hippo Marathon is the most easterly marathon in South Africa – a super flat double-lapper at sea-level through the suburbs of Richards Bay. Things can get hot and sweaty very quickly in Richards Bay so to compensate for the expected heat the race starts extra early and refreshment tables are extra frequent to prevent overheating.

Battlefields Marathon is a fairly hilly out-and-back route along the quiet R511. It’s gentle rolling hills for the first 14km before a big 5km climb and then a 2km drop to the turnaround point. The route back is a lot easier and there’s a cushy last 5km drop to the finish. Although the course is tough, the surrounding scenery is simply stunning – your legs might complain about the hills but your eyes will feast on the pristine Drakensberg views for the full 42.2 kilometres.

Sunday sees the second edition of the Orcas 50k, a flat double lapper centred around Kings Park in Durban.

On Saturday the popular Tshwane 50k returns as the only single-lap, circular ultra in Gauteng with a testing route especially designed for Comrades training. The second Saturday event is the inaugural WOBSA Land of Legends Marathon based at Thavhani Mall, Thohoyandou in rural Limpopo.

Sunday sees one marathon, two ultras and one hybrid. The hybrid is Benoni Northerns with the choice of a standard marathon or 48k ultra. The route is a fast and flat double-lapper through Northmead, Rynfield and the beautiful Ebotse golf estate (for those who got their fill of Benoni earlier in the year at Johnson Crane, this route is completely different). There’s plenty of shade along the way making this an ideal route to test your legs and improve your seeding before Comrades.

Only the rash and reckless walk the streets of Chatsworth – but only the incredibly brave run 52km around her streets. This is a race that earns you serious street cred (the race is 4km shorter than Two Oceans but has 50% more elevation). The Chatsworth Freedom Ultra was started to commemorate the end of apartheid and dawn of democracy in South Africa – and has been going strong ever since. You get to cover almost every street in Chatsworth as you wind and grind up and down their undulating terrain. With long stretches along the Higginson Highway, this is a route that tests your mind and well as your legs – making this an ideal Comrades preparation run (Stephen Muzhingi has won the race twice and followed both victories up with a Comrades triumph). The route is something between circular and a double-lapper as there are several repeat sections. The highlight of the route comes towards the end – four shaded, scenic kilometres through the Silverglen Nature Reserve.

Your second ultra is the return of the Zululand District 56k, a small field, big prize money, municipality sponsored point-to-point event from Ulindi to Nongoma in rural KwaZulu Natal. The race created a stir earlier this year when their flyer featured famous 100m sprinters instead of marathon runners.

Mall of the North Marathon bucks the trend that Polokwane races are normally just hot and not particularly interesting. The out and back route takes you almost immediately from the mall parking lot into pristine African savannah and keeps you there for over 40km.

The last weekend of April is packed with eight great options. My pick would be the Outeniqua Marathon. If this is not on your bucket list add it now. A superb small field marathon in the heart of the Garden Route. The route combines trail, tar and dirt road as you navigate the ancient roads cut into the Tsitsikamma forest between George and Wilderness. Expect hills, dams, lakes, lagoons, stunning sea views and indigenous forests.

There are also two low key marathons on the Saturday, Gazamed Marathon in Giyani, Limpopo and the Kuruman Marathon in the Northern Cape. The latter is a flat double-lapper that race starts at Kalahari High School and passes popular local heritage sites like the Robert Moffat Mission and The First Eye.

One of South Africa’s big ultras, Loskop, completes the Saturday options. This is run from Middelburg to the Loskop Dam on fully closed roads. With the start 1,500m above sea-level and the finish 1,000m, it’s a fast, downhill route – but there are some tricky sections: there is a gradual climb to 1,600m all the way to the half marathon mark and two nasty hills on the second half (Bugger’s and Varaday’s) will give you something to talk about while you cool your legs in the Forever Resort pool at the finish. The excellent support tables and organisation make Loskop a pleasure to run.

Your two Sunday marathons, Vaal Triangle and Actom (formerly Alan Robb), are both on their second editions and offer flat routes in different parts of Gauteng.

The Spilhaus Piketberg 48k is a new and possibly once off race to commemorate Aurora’s Founders Day on 26 April 1906 and also forms part of the 150 years celebration of the company WM Spilhaus. The race starts from NG Kerk in Main Street Piketberg and ends at the NG Kerk in Aurora. It provides the opportunity to run a short ultra of 48km. Walkers are also welcome with a very generous 12 hour cutoff.

The final option is the Prince Mangosuthu 52k, a point-to-point ultra from Nqutu to Dundee in northern KZN. The first 18 kilometres are an easy downhill that drops one from around 1,400m to below 1,100m. This lulls one into a false sense of security until you hit the bottom of the Buffalo River Valley. From that point onward it’s hard work, with plenty of climbing as you bob up and down all the way to Dundee.