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Run for fun
South African running marathons
Marathon running is hugely popular in South Africa.
© Shawn Benjamin Photography/Ark Images
You can fly off to Johannesburg or Cape Town, hire a car, drive for a couple of hours, put on your kit and complete your own solo South African running marathon in a place with sublime scenic backdrops.
South Africa is a marathon runner's country. So much of it is quiet, so much of it is breathtakingly lovely and, with a massive road network, it is very conducive to long distance running.
Running marathons in South Africa often means being a part of the Comrades Marathon between Pietermaritzburg and Durban in the KwaZulu-Natal province, the Two Oceans Marathon around the Cape Peninsula, or any one of a number of rural marathons that take place amidst mountains, winelands, along the 3 000-kilometre stretch of coastline or, for the really hardy, on the flatlands of the Great Karoo.
You will find that South Africans love running marathons. And they're not all lean, mean, fast and furious. They come in all shapes and sizes, you find them in the front and at the back of the pack, cheerfully enjoying the outing and the chance to breathe in some fresh country air. They make friends easily - indeed, time after time, visiting marathon runners have remarked on the hospitality of their South African counterparts - whether they've won the race or not.
With a favourable exchange rate, exceptional weather, a very large all-year race card, well organized events and the chance to take in some good old South African road-tripping in motorised transport afterwards, SA is all an adventurous marathon man – or woman – could want.
Take your post-race pick: dive with sharks; watch the southern right whales; go on safari; visit a township; go up in a hot air balloon; take a long 5-star cross-Karoo train trip – or run another very long race through idyllic surrounds.