FUN RUNNERS WELCOME
OLD MUTUAL SOWETO MARATHON, HALF & 10 KM
OLD MUTUAL SOWETO MARATHON, HALF & 10 KM
ENTRY DETAILS
Pre-entries are accepted at leading local sports stores. Postal entries for the marathon event are accepted up to two weeks before the event. Hand delivered entries are accepted at the Central Gauteng offices up to one week before the race. All events are strictly pre-entry. Registration takes place at various venues the week before the event. Grand Masters enjoy free entry.
OLD MUTUAL SOWETO MARATHON, HALF & 10 KM
DIRECTIONS
Race Start Coordinates: -26.23628449777776, 27.984790205955505
Race Finish Coordinates: 0.0,0.0
OLD MUTUAL SOWETO MARATHON, HALF & 10 KM
THE RUN
Most of the hard work in the Soweto Marathon is done after the halfway mark. Your early discretion will pay dividends later on. As you charge down Rand Show Road into South Africa’s most famous township you may be lulled into false sense of security. Just remember the closing stages of the race have some testing pulls in them. The route takes you into the historic heart of Soweto and by the 10-kilometre marker you will have to skip around the early morning hustle and bustle of Walter Sisulu Square.
Onwards to the Regina Mundi Church. This is the largest Roman Catholic Church in South Africa. During the struggle years it was a gathering point for the people of Soweto and is often referred to as "the people's church". From 1995 to 1998 Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu presided over Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings at Regina Mundi. Just before the halfway mark is the Morris Isaacson High School. A small landmark to be sure, its historical significance is large. On 1 May 1993 Nelson Mandela visited the school to celebrate the school's role in the Soweto Uprising and nation's transformation. The second half of the race takes you into Vilakazi Street. This is the only street in the world that was once home to two Nobel Peace Laureates, Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. As you wind and climb the hill you will also pass Uncle Tom’s Community Hall and the Hector Pieterson Museum and Memorial which commemorate the 1976 student uprising. A good time to reflect on our country’s robust recent past.
By now the halfway mark is gone and before you a three kilometre climb that will test your mind as much as it will your body. There is some respite and the downhill stretch to the 30-kilometre marker is welcome. Here, as the U2 rock band romanticised, is the ‘Street With No Name’. Bite down hard; the race begins from this point. This is more than just a tour through the warm heart of Soweto, it is a journey through our tumultuous history. To be sure the route is an undulating one, testing at times but it is a passage full of great reward, made extra special by the people of Soweto. Heta bra, what a race! The half marathon and 10 kilometre events are easy, uncomplicated runs, moderate in their challenge. The last three kilometres are downhill and will give you a fast finish.
OLD MUTUAL SOWETO MARATHON, HALF & 10 KM
ORGANISER
CONTACT PERSON
RACES BY THIS CLUB
TYPE |
PROVINCE |
RACE |
DATE |
VENUE |
CONTACT |
NUMBER |
|
Gauteng |
African Bank Soweto Marathon, Half & 10 km |
03 November 2024 |
FNB Stadium NASREC Johannesburg |
Sibongile Maruta |
078-4450249 |
OLD MUTUAL SOWETO MARATHON, HALF & 10 KM
EDITORS NOTES
EDITORS NOTES
If there is one marathon every South African needs to do it is this one. Known as the People’s Marathon, it could equally be called the Friendly Marathon based on the ever present crowd support and encouragement. The streets are lined by the community cheering, chanting and encouraging runners over what is certainly a challenging route but one that is filled with the history that forged the new South Africa.
Time Limit: 06:30
Finishers: 8000
ACCOMODATION