This article contains high level details and, where available, flyers, profiles and route maps for every 2026 South African road marathon and ultra. Updates will be made regularly as races are added, cancelled and confirmed.
The 2026 calendar is brought to you by RaceSpace – the app that has every running and endurance event in the country at your fingertips. RaceSpace are covering some of my marathon running travel costs in 2025 – you can support me and the site by downloading the RaceSpace app on Apple, Android or by using the QR Code below.
I remember my first Two Oceans back in 2002. It was special. It was fantastic. It was brilliantly organised. Sadly a first Two Oceans is no longer what is used to be. Here is Tsholo’s experience of his first Two Oceans.
Good day Stuart,
My name is Tsholo. I started running in 2014, and since then, I’ve completed Comrades five times and do about 3 – 4 Ultras per year. This year, I took on the Two Oceans Ultra — a race I had long admired — but I left feeling bitterly disappointed by the experience, especially the handling of water stations and half marathon short medals.
We’ve heard a lot from the runners about the diabolical water situation in the Two Oceans ultra marathon but here’s a different perspective from one of the supporters on the day, Lungi Khambule.
Good day,
I was privileged to support runners at 26km and just before 47km during the Two Oceans Ultra — and what I witnessed left me deeply moved.
At 26km, runners were asking for food, salt, and spray etc. All was relatively good.
But at 47km, the sight was heartbreaking. Runners were desperate for water – pleading at every supporter they saw. Even the supporters adjacent to us were asking us for water, as runners were desperately also asking them for water.
This article contains high level details and, where available, flyers, profiles and route maps for every 2025 South African road marathon and ultra. Updates will be made regularly as races are added, cancelled and confirmed.
The 2025 calendar is brought to you by RaceSpace – the app that has every running and endurance event in the country at your fingertips. RaceSpace are covering some of my marathon running travel costs in 2025 – you can support me and the site by downloading the RaceSpace app on Apple, Android or by using the QR Code below.
[MARATHON #268 / UNIQUE MARATHON #163 / 4 May 2024]
As the name suggests, the N12 50k Ultra is run almost entirely along the N12 between Potchefstroom and Klerksdorp – and yes, that is about as exciting as it sounds.
Running 50 kilometres along the N12 highway is as about exciting as that sounds.
There are only three good reasons to run 50 kilometres along the N12:
1. Held on 4 May, the race is your absolute last chance to qualify for the Comrades Marathon.
2. You have already qualified for the Comrades Marathon and want to mentally prepare along the only stretch of road more boring than Harrison Flats.
3. The George Mallory / Mount Everest “because it’s there” rationale.
I think I was the only person who fell into category three.
With every available room in Potchefstroom booked for some unknown reason (maybe there was a Kurt Darren concert that night), I woke up extra early and did the two hour drive through in the morning. Fortunately, Hybré Geldenhuys had seconded her daughter (who is a student at Potch) to collect my race number so I could enjoy my peanut butter sandwiches and urn of coffee in the comfort of my car without worrying about queues.
You’ve heard of a one horse town. It looks like Potchefstroom is a one household insurance town.
This was the third running of the event with the race following the Comrades protocol of alternating directions each year. Other than the comparison to Harrison Flats (thankfully without the accompanying smell of chicken shit) that is where the similarities end. This year was a “down” run with the finish in Klerksdorp being 25 metres lower than the start in Potch.
With the the finish in Klerksdorp being 25 metres lower than the start in Potch it was a “down” run this year
Whilst there are plenty of long and gentle undulations there is only one ‘hill’ which is strategically placed at the 46km mark as you enter Klerksdorp. However, it is just 1km long with 23m of elevation so it is really nothing to complain about.
A 6am start just as the sun is rising.
The starting gun fired at 6am sharp, just as the sun was rising. We started with a 2km loop around town before heading onto the N12. The actual distance between the two towns is 47km so I think we should have done an extra kilometre in Potch as we were 1 kilometre ahead of schedule for most of the race (at the end of the race my legs were not complaining about the missing kilometre).
If you find the N12 too flat and boring, you can turn it into a trail run like this Pirate on the right.
Having found this to be one of the most boring stretches of road in South Africa to drive along, I knew that there were not many points of interest along the route. Therefore, I kept my eyes peeled for photo opportunities as we traversed the industrial outskirts of Potchefstroom. I have been told not to count my chickens before they hatch but I did get rather excited when I saw the signs below.
I was not brave enough to ask for volunteers to pose in front of these signs.
I was not brave enough to ask for volunteers to pose in front of these signs. However, there might be an opportunity for the North West Province to boost tourism with their version of the Pirelli Calendar using plus size models*.
* I do have plenty of candidates in mind with the archetypal body type should I ever find a ‘Chubby Rooster’ sign.
Keep on trucking.
The N12 is a busy road but the runners are allocated a full lane of the freeway plus the emergency lane whilst oncoming traffic is limited to one lane. As such, several large buses were spotted on route. Not sure if the Greyhound bus made its destination on time but the running buses safely delivered their passengers for a Comrades qualifier (and were in a festive and vocal mood the entire race).
A variety of different buses were spotted along the route.
On a flat and featureless road, one needs to find a companion to share the pain (and some good running stories) – luckily I got chatting to Muzi Skosana and we broke the back of this ultra together. Muzi is a personal trainer and runs many of his marathons with his clients but was running solo at the N12. Muzi was training for his 5th Comrades (which he duly completed in a PB time of 10:46:00).
There is quite literally only one landmark along this stretch of road – the North West Province’s version of Table Mountain. I thought it was a mine dump but was told later that it’s the discard pile from the Corobrik factory.
As you see the cameras came out (Muzi Skosana in picture) to capture the North West province’s answer to Table Mountain.
There really is so little aesthetic appeal on the route that I risk being accused of ‘cyber bullying’ the N12. Fortunately, a truly talented photographer was on hand. Personally, I think the photo below by Tumelo Mabua deserves an award. Anyone who can make the N12 freeway look this cheerful, charming and inviting merits recognition.
If one is prepared to use the definition loosely, signs of civilisation start appearing again on the outskirts of Klerksdorp. However, your terminology and standard accepted definitions may not match those of the Klerksdorp populace. For example, if you are ever asked the question, “What is a Klerksdorp bakkie?”, the answer looks to be a convertible Mercedes Benz!
Klerksdorp “bakkies” on display.
With about 1 kilometre to go, you finally veer off the N12 and head to the finish area with the Matlosana Recreation Centre which is a nice spacious venue to relax and replenish after the ultra.
Logistics can often be a challenge with the point-to-point races but the N12 Ultra provides all runners the opportunity to get an authentic minibus taxi ride back to the start. Hybré had finished just behind me and we ended up in the same taxi home. We were chatting about the race when there was a sudden change in music genre blaring over the radio and she started giggling, “O, gonna, it’s Kurt Darren!”. To her credit, Hybré did quickly follow this up with, “I don’t even listen to this kind of music.”
Klerksdorp is so Afrikaans that even the minibus taxis play ‘sokkie treffers’ for their passengers. However, what was interesting is just how popular the video clip featuring the diverse music choice I took was. It picked up mainstream media interest like this article in The Citizen and the Facebook video post is approaching 300,000 views. Johan Stemmet would be proud!
If you thought Bloemfontein was the centre for Afrikaans ‘kultuur’ you were wrong. In Klerksdorp, even the taxi drivers play Kurt Darren for their passengers.
And that was a wrap for my marathon running until the Knysna Marathon at the end of June. With the South African marathon scene shutting down in anticipation of Comrades, I thought I’d have plenty of time to get this report done quickly but the various Comrades shenanigans have meant otherwise. As for me, I like to “stand and deliver”, so after running the better part of 50 kilometres on this national road, I might need to change my moniker to The Highwaymann. I am sure that this rebranding would be popular with several Board members of prominent races that would like to see the author officially outlawed.
Signing out from the N12 Ultra. Look out for the next race report from the Knysna Forest Marathon.
Afterword: Water Issues
Before the race, I struggled to get any response to questions from the organisers via email or the event’s Facebook page (the flyer said race morning number collections until 4:30am which I assumed should have been 5:30am but I did not want to risk it and, after getting no response, arranged with Hybré Geldenhuys to have her daughter collect my race number on the Friday).
Several organisational issues were noted after the inaugural event in 2022 but these seemed to be mostly sorted out in 2023. However, a steady supply of water seems to be a issue for those further back in the field as the below race experience from Doreen Mukuku illustrates:
From about 8km water points were dry, with only Powerade and Coke. As runners, some of us cannot stomach that much sugar from the beginning of the event. From about 12km we attempted calling the organisers on [number 1], and [number 2] but were not being answered, they just rang. I then tried [number 3] and this went through, at 07H43. The gentleman who picked up was rude. I told him the point in the race we were in and asked when we should expect to get water, his response was “we have water here it’s coming”. I asked him at what point we should expect to get the water, at 15km or 18km or something, and he simply said I don’t know what you want me to say and he dropped the call. We then passed another dry waterpoint and I tried calling again with no luck, I assume he was avoiding my number. My friend tried with her phone and as soon as she asked why there is no water at water points he simply dropped the call. We saw some official with N12 Ultra marathon t-shirt chatting with a paramedic around 18km and asked him why there is no water at the water points, he casually responded by saying “have Coke or Powerade and maybe you will get water at the next water point”, this was really infuriating. At this stage we witnessed some guy in a Waterfall club t-shirt saying he was tapping out, and said he would request to be taken back to his vehicle. We did not stick around to see what happened to him thereafter. We managed to get water after about 20 or so kilometres. We even checked our phones to see if we could do an Uber-Eats delivery of water, but we were unsure of the locations ahead for us to confirm delivery point. The 20s and 30s were better, but from Stilfontein where the 42.2km scanners were, that was almost the last water we got. There was a white bakkie driving on the grass-side handing out water, all other points mostly had Powerade and Coke. At the finish line it was also tiny half cups of water and Coke. What baffled us was how people including some of the officials at these waterpoints seemed to think the Powerade and Coke were an upgrade to the water, like this was a favour, like we were getting the “good stuff” instead of just water! It was really unpleasant.
I like to run and I like to run the numbers. There is nothing quite like getting a really big dataset in one’s hands and playing around with the numbers. Once a year I allow myself this self-indulgence. Night after night, glass of red wine after glass of red wine, after everyone else in the household has gone to bed, I sit alone and pound away at my keyboard.
The Comrades data is quite predictable, every year the same patterns emerge. Most people start too fast and finish much slower, there is the Christmas tree finisher pattern where more people finish in the last 15 minutes of each medal cut-off than in any of the previous 15 minute segments.
This Christmas tree, pagoda pattern where more runners finish in the last 15 minutes of each medal cut-off occurs predictably every year.
Every year I come up with a few new ideas to add to the list of graphs and analysis I undertake – and if the findings are interesting enough I work this into conversations, corporate training materials and conference talks whenever I get the opportunity. I’ve run a lot of marathons and I’ve run a lot of data. However, this article covers the most surprising statistic I’ve found.
South Africa is famous for having the biggest and best ultra marathons on the planet: There are less than ten ultra marathons worldwide with more than 1,000 finishers and over half of them are in South Africa.
However, we’ve also got some brilliant small field ultras that are worth working into your running plans. For those that like the personal touch, here’s a list of ten awesome low-key ultras that will be happy to take your money, show you a good time and will still respect you in the morning. With the prospect of a relatively normal year ahead (let’s hope!) why not plan an ultra running road trip or two? Continue reading “10 Great Small South African Ultras”
[MARATHON #229 / Unique Marathon #131 / 26 October 2019]
It’s said that sex, politics and religion are the three topics one should always steer well clear of. I am well known for ignoring sensible advice and tackle all three in this race report.
Ultra marathons are hard to come by in the second half of the year in South Africa. As summer heats up, the ultras dry up and by the time you get to the last quarter there is just one road ultra to service your running thirst: Polokwane’s Run4Cancer 48k (which also happens to be the only ultra marathon in the Limpopo Province).
I try to make one running trip a year to Limpopo’s capital city and, since Run4Cancer was the only marathon missing from my Polokwane portfolio, it was the logical place to drag my family over the mid-term school holiday (before anyone calls child services, I did include the sweetener of a couple of nights in a game reserve after the race).
One happy bunny enjoying the only road ultra marathon in South Africa over the last quarter of the year.
[Marathon #226 / Unique Marathon #129 / 28 September 2019]
Although South Africa is known for being “ultra mad”, in reality our runners only have sporadic bouts of insanity with a select few races. The two main delirium inducing culprits are Comrades and Two Oceans (the only two ultra marathons in the world to record over 10,000 finishers) – and there are just three other ultras (Loskop, Om Die Dam and Irene) that boasted more than 1,000 finishers in 2019.
Furthermore, the second half of the year is particularly lucid with just a handful of road ultras on the calendar – and all these races have to be content with a few hundred institutionalised patients participants. You’d have to be crazy to voluntarily check yourself into the nuthouse. Likewise, there are no rational explanations for entering ultra marathons in the desert, only justifications – here are mine.
At 80 kilometres, Laingsburg’s Karoo Ultra is the only race on the calendar between the Two Oceans and Comrades distances making it what long distance snobs call a “proper ultra”. As such, it is a race that any self-professed running connoisseur must have on his CV. I also love a bargain – and with an entry fee of just R100 ($7/€6), this is the cheapest rand per kilometre race in the country (the further you run the more you save!).
When there are more kilometres to run (80) than runners to run them (71) you need to have strong justifications to line-up at the start.
[Marathon #221 / Unique Marathon #125 / 11 August 2019]
When a horse throws you off its back, we’re told to be brave, laugh it off and get back onto the horse as quickly as possible. Using this line of reasoning, I figured that if a marathon tosses you to the tar, the appropriate response is to write a detailed blog post bemoaning poor race organisation and the toughness of the route, drink a few beers and then pick another marathon to run as quickly as possible.
Dundee’s Dorothy Nyembe Marathon tossed me off, her mountainous climbs almost broke my back and the rejection I suffered over a meagre 42 kilometres severely dented my fragile male ego. Although marathons are scarce at this time of the year, as luck would have it, the next event on the calendar presented the opportunity to return to Dundee and an attempt to tame an even larger horse: The inaugural Prince Mangosuthu 52k Ultra Marathon. Continue reading “Prince Mangosuthu Ultra (The Dundee double)”
