I ran a marathon every month in 2024
This turned out to be quite a challenge and I’m so glad I finished it!
The first half of the year went pretty well. But the second half of 2024 was a struggle because of some “challenges”. I thought I was invincible and overdid it early in the year.
There was no real set of rules (I made them up). I would have liked to have made it 12 official road marathons, but pivoted to some trail races after my “challenges” to save the body 😅. The condition of one a month made this pretty tough as I couldn’t take a month or two off to recover (and catch up later).
It was fun looking for different races that I hadn’t done before. It was also nice to have a guaranteed mini adventure each month. Most races required a big or small trip and every marathon was an adventure.
Details
I made some graphs below showing times and what happened with the “challenges”. Hover over or click the points to see details.
Highlights
I could go on about each marathon, but this post needs to go out before 2025. Reach out if you want more info about any of them.
Volksrust Marathon
January marathons are tough, but I had a great December of running so this went well. This small town marathon had great water stops (scored some brandi from a farmer). It was a straight out and back route with a big hill in the middle. Sneaked in under 4h. Strava link
Hillcrest Marathon
I do the Midmar Mile (1 mile open water swim) in Howick every year with my Dad. I’ve thought about trying the Hillcrest marathon as it’s always during the same weekend. So finally ticked this idea off, the swim Saturday and the run on Sunday. It was very wet, but I enjoyed the forest and surrounding hills. Strava link
Kosmos 3in1
Bucket list race I was so glad to have finished. You do a marathon in the morning, 21km lunchtime and finally a 10km in the evening. It was pretty tough. The race is set in Secunda where Sasol extracts oil from coal, so it’s quite funny running with smoke stacks in the background blowing out smoke and flames. Camping at the start line was great, they had swimming pools which made the break between the races easier (it got hot). Pissed about the just over 4h finish (seconds 🫣). Strava link
Two Oceans Marathon
Love this race and I’ve done it a few times. The weather was great, the crowds were big and the views from this run are so good. Finally made it to “Forries” (restaurant/bar) a tradition for most runners after the race (walked, I must have been really fit back then).
Strava link
Wally Hayward
I ran a marathon in a suit! Another bucket list item ticked off. This was partly done because a club mate had done a suit marathon. It was tough with the heat but the cheers and laughs I got from the side made this super fun. I don’t really like the Wally marathon because it’s not particularly interesting and a double lapper. But I didn’t have too many options in May right before Comrades. Strava link
Comrades
This broke me because of “challenges”. But I made it. This race is so crazy with the amount of people running and supporting. This is kind of when the challenge got put in jeopardy with some injuries. Strava link
Backyard Ultra Van Gaalen
A lap of 6.7km every hour for as long as you can. So I did 7 laps to make 47km and ticked off another marathon. I needed something easy to tick off July after the Comrades fiasco. Enjoyed running with a bunch of friends that also did this one. Strava link
Kaapsehoop Mountain Ultra
Another trail to help with the sore legs was my idea for this one. However after 8h of running I was glad I finished this race. The Kaapsehoop area is very pretty with the mountains, dam and trees. It took me an age to finish but I enjoyed it! Strava link
Voet Van Afrika Marathon
The southern most marathon in South Africa was so great. I got some confidence back after finishing this race. Another small town race with fun water stops and old school pancakes at the end. I managed to slot this race in after going down to the Cape for a 4 day hike. Strava link
Let’s Go Potch
Potchefstroom is not the most spectacular place to run a marathon 😅. It was extremely flat so I pushed it a bit, this was a mistake and I did something to my knee 🤦♂️. It was cool to spot my local running heroes randomly at this race. Running mann (21 marathons in 2024) and Julian Karp (54+ marathons in 2024 🤯). I don’t think I can get to those numbers without a miracle. Strava link
Sani Stagger
A really big bucket list item completed after doing this race. The steepest marathon in South africa was as you expect tough. It was so beautiful in the Drakensburg and we had some fun camping through some heavy wind and rain. I probably should not have done one of the hardest races for the second last race of the year 🤔. Strava link
Paarl Rock 44km
Wow this was a beautiful race with rocky outcrops, mountain views and a fun dam crossing. My knee was pretty stuffed after Sani, so this was another very slow trail (7:30h) to finish off the year for me. I was very pleased to finish the challenge! Strava link
I recommend you visit Running Mann’s blog to find some marathons in some small towns throughout SA and try them out. I really enjoyed getting out of Johannesburg and doing the small town races.
Costs
This was not a cheep endeavor, I’ve put the race entry costs below. Traveling was also a big cost (didn’t keep track of this) but I really tried to squeeze marathons in during work trips and did 2 camping trips to save money.
| Marathon | Entry Fee |
|---|---|
| Volksrust Marathon | R 200.00 |
| Hillcrest Marathon | R 340.00 |
| Kosmos 3in1 | R 660.00 (included all 3) |
| Two Oceans | R 810.00 |
| Wally Hayward | R 330.00 |
| Comrades | R 1200.00 |
| Backyard Ultra | R 590.00 |
| Kaapsehoop Mountain Ultra | R 600.00 |
| Voet Van Afrika | R 300.00 |
| Let’s Go Potch | R 250.00 |
| Sani Stagger | R 535.00 |
| Paarl Rock 44km | R 1080.00 |
| Total | R 6895.00 😅 |
Trail runs are expensive 😅.
Next
What is next? Perhaps a back to back marathon (Saturday and Sunday marathon) and I want to do more trail running.
Pictures
A bit cheesy and embarrassing but you need a photo at the marathon 😂
Volksrust Marathon
Hillcrest Marathon
Kosmos 3in1
Two Oceans
Wally Hayward
Comrades
Backyard Ultra
Kaapsehoop Mountain Ultra
Voet Van Afrika
Let’s Go Potch
Sani Stagger
Paarl Rock 44km
