23/12/2024
2024 🇿🇦MARATHON STATS: Most Expensive
The list is dominated by the “big name” races. The great R1 million Mpumalanga marathon scam goes straight to the top of the charts. Doubt we’ll see this race again so the 2025 title is up for grabs. Loskop returned in 2024 but at a very high entry fee securing a Mpumalanga 1-2.
Despite a 0% price increase, Comrades remains the 3rd most expensive rand per kilometre race but does drop from the top of the most expensive chart since I’ve been doing these stats. With Comrades’ rich post-Covid cash surplus and a new Board in place, hopefully we’ll see reduction in entry fee for 2026.
If you ran all 10 on the most expensive list, it would cost R7,650 in entry fees. As a comparison entering the London Marathon ballot will set you back about R4,000.
I’ve run most on the list and, in my opinion, there’s still good value but organisers will need to look at creative ways to halt increases or it will exclude a large portion of the running community.
