In what is the first big transfer ahead of the 2026 season, Paris 2024 Olympian Ryan Mphahlele has joined the Phantane Athletic Club. The Totalsports backed KZN-based club are known for signing some of South Africa’s biggest track and road running stars with the likes of Gerda Steyn, Prudence Sekgodišo and Tshepo Tshite all having called the club home. "Phantane Athletics Club is proud to officially welcome South African middle-distance sensation Ryan Mphahlele to the Green a

Before Amogelang Tatai's heroics this week, the SA U20 3000m record had been one of the longest standing national age group records. But that all changed in the Reunion Islands last weekend, when the 19-year-old from  Klerksdorp became the first South African junior to break 8 minutes over seven and a half laps of the track. Competing at the Oceán Indien International Meet alongside many of his Potch Track Club teammates including SA sprint champion Thamzin Thomas, Tatai cloc

Thanks to Khoarahlane Seutloali's maiden Africanbank Soweto Marathon victory on Saturday 29 November and Neheng Khatala's triumph in Soweto last year, Andrew Booyens has become the first coach in history to win the men's and women's titles at both The People's Race and the Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon.  Six months after claiming glory at the World's Most beautiful Ultra Marathon, the man from The Mountain Kingdom produced a composed performance to out kick 2023 champion N

Perhaps more interesting than the appointment of a new Chairperson and Vice Chairperson, was the news that members of the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) voted in favour of removing KwaZulu-Natal Athletics (KZNA) from the board of the world’s most beloved ultra marathon.  Before Saturday’s AGM which took place at Carter High School in Pietermaritzburg, the CMA featured two ex officio  members, representing Athletics South Africa (ASA) and KwaZulu-Natal Athletics (KZNA). B

Race director Danny Blumberg – marking a decade at the helm of the People's Race – confirmed the landmark move on Wednesday, describing it as a necessary step to keep Soweto's streets moving on a bustling month-end weekend. Blumberg explained that staging the race on a Saturday, combined with the usual end-of-month traffic surge, meant organisers of the 2025 Africanbank Soweto Marathon had to rethink how to manage the flow of runners through the township. "We've spent a lot o

Maxed Elite top Runner Jobo Khatoane believes that this year's Africanbank Soweto Marathon will be the hardest to predict after the race was rescheduled to take place on 29 November instead of it’s traditional first Sunday in November. The date change as a result of the G20 which also took place at the Nasrec Expo Centre in November and the uncertainty created by a faction claiming ownership of the event which insisted that the race would not take place, made it difficult for

"My coach is happy," said Bennet Seloyi when asked about Best Ngwenya's feelings on his breakthrough 2025 season. "At the beginning of the year he told me this was my year to perform at a higher level and count myself amongst South Africa’s top runners." This time last year, the 25-year-old was running for an elite development club Waterfall AC with a marathon best of 2:17:11 and hadn’t broken even broken 30 minutes in a 10km road race. Twelve months later, the Thembisan is

With its rich history, the Africanbank Soweto Marathon is an event that many runners aim to participate in. Taking place in South Africa’s largest and most popular township along a route that runs past some iconic landmarks including Vilakazi Street, which is the only street in the world to have been home to two Nobel Peace Prize laureates, Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Soweto Marathon has become a bucket list race for thousands. One of those is multiple Com

Long distance runner Makwande Mngcwengi will make another attempt at this weekend’s Ultra Trail Cape Town. An ultra marathon specialist who claimed an impressive 5:53:12 finish at the 2023 Comrades Marathon, Mncwengi is one of a growing number of long distance road runners who have begun making the transition to trail running. The KZN-based runner made his UTCT debut in 2022, covering the 100km distance in 13 hours 03 minutes 59 seconds to take 11th place overall and finish a

Reflecting on another successful season during which he broke Gert Thys' 26-year-old SA Marathon record, Elroy Gelant attributes the mercurial highs he experienced over the last two years to his excellent support structure whose cornerstone is his wife Tamzin Thomas. After popping the question to his SA & African Champion 100m and 200m sprinter finance last November, the fastest couple in South Africa were married at a private ceremony in Stellenbosch this past weekend. The

Of all the athletes you could have picked to finish on the podium at the Athletics South Africa (ASA) 10km Championships in Bloemfontein on Saturday 15 November, you would have been hard pressed to select Onalenna Khonkhobe as one of your medal favourites. Yet that’s exactly what the reigning Prince Mangosuthu 52km and 2024 Totalsports Two Oceans Ultra Marathon champion did. Running in the colours of Athletics Central North West (ACNW) against a host of 10km specialists, Kh

Tete Morena Dijana, a celebrated three-time Comrades Marathon Champion, will be counted among the top contenders at the Diamond and Dorings Kimberley Big Hole Marathon, taking place on November 22nd in the Northern Cape. This inaugural event features a substantial prize of R200 000 for the winner and has drawn prominent athletes, including Namibian marathon and half marathon record holder Daniel Paulus, 2025 Totalsports Two Oceans podium finisher Lucky Mohale, and Lesotho's N

South Africa's road running superstar, Glenrose Xaba is ending her year on a high after pocketing over half a million Rand at the season-ending SPAR Grand Prix Awards yesterday (11 November). Xaba, not only became the first South African to win all five legs of the Spar Women's Challenge, she is the first black South African woman to win three Grand Prix times. Glenrose Xaba was crowned the 2025 SPAR Grand Prix champion at SPAR Grand Prix Awards held in Midrand, Johannesburg

Following an excellent season which saw him grab the silver medal in the senior men’s 10km race at the Athletics South Africa (ASA) Cross Country Championships in September, Zenzile Pheko has signed for one of South Africa's top professional clubs. The 20-year-old from Munsiville in Krugersdorp has been released by his development club Kopano AC to join the Boxer Athletic Club. "It feels good," he told #TheTopRunner. "It has been my dream for a long time to see myself on top

Fresh off their golden performances at the Boxer Super Run Durban in October, Ryan Mphahlele and Glenrose Xaba brought their winning form to Jozi - claiming the crowns as King and Queen of the 5km at the inaugural Boxer Super Run Joburg, held at Marks Park Sports Club yesterday (Sunday, 9 November 2025). Mphahlele crossed the finish line first in the ELITE MEN'S WAVE in an impressive time of 14:20 seconds on a tough course. Finishing strongly Bennett Seloyi made up three pos

After winning the Boxer Super Durban 5km on debut, all eyes will be on Ryan Mphahlele when he races the first edition of the Boxer Super Run Joburg 5km on Sunday 9 November. After a disappointing World Championships campaign in Tokyo in September, the #Paris2024 has revived his season with a few encouraging performances, which included a season's best 3:58.50 victory at the Parys Crater Street Mile on 25 October.  Mphahlele and Elroy Gelant in action during the Boxer Super Ru

Under Adam Lipschitz's leadership, the Social Runners Club launched an endeavor in 2023 to develop a unique road running event in the Durban suburb of Umhlanga. The decision proved astute, as most races were generally concentrated in the Durban CBD. As a result the Umhlanga Rocks Half Marathon has since flourished, exhibiting significant growth as they hosted just under 2000 participants across 21km, 10km and 5km in 2024.  As the race prepares to enter its third year on Novem

Rising middle-distance star Boipelo Maroga is chasing history. The promising Nedbank Running Club junior has set her sights on breaking the magical two-minute barrier in the 800m, a feat achieved by only six South African women – Caster Semenya, Prudence Sekgodiso, Charne Swart, Zelda Pretorius, Ilse Wicksell and Eranne van Zyl. Maroga who is pictured here at the Alexandra leg of the Zet Sinqe Series specializes in the 800m and 1500m. Photo Credit: Lebogang Pita. Driven by a

After selling out in less than a day, runners are calling on the Comrades Marathon Association to make more entries available for the 2026 Comrades Marathon. Following a week reserved for Green Number holders to enter the race last week, general entries opened yesterday and sold out in less than twelve hours. The entry cap of 22 000 for the Up Run from Durban to Pietermaritzburg was reached within a day, making it the fastest Comrades entry sellout in history. But those who w

Having declared her intentions to race her first Abbott World Marathon Major race in 2026, Glenrose Xaba underlined her credentials by delivering a podium finish at the Lisbon Half Marathon on Sunday. Xaba clocked an impressive 1:08:37 which was the second fastest 21km of her career as she came within just 18 seconds of her lifetime best to grab third position behind Kenya’s Cynthia Chpekwony (1:07:20) and Ethiopia’s Chaltu Dida Diriba (1:08:12). Reflecting on a season that h