10 000 participants targeted as Ntenga race plans to use race proceeds to sink boreholes

Taking place for the 12th time this year, the 2026 Ntenga Foundation Race will once again look to harness the power of running to change the lives of the citizens of rural KwaZulu-Natal. Every year the Ntenga Foundation Race offers runners the opportunity to celebrate National Heritage Day by doing what they love, while using the proceeds from the race to support various worthy social impact initiatives around one of South Africa’s most rural provinces. 

Speaking to #TheTopRunner at the event’s official launch at the Durban Botanical Gardens on Tuesday 14 April, Ntenga Foundation founder, Calvin Ntenga expressed his joy saying the growth of the race which began as a 5km walk will allow them to help more people.

"I'm very pleased with how the race has grown over the years. We started with a 5km fun run and we have gone on to include a 10km race now. At the beginning, we had only 1 000 participants but last year we reached close to 6 000 runners. This year, we set our target at 10 000 runners. I urge runners to register early to avoid disappointment because last year we sold out a full month before race day," explains Ntenga.

Kwa-Zulu Natal Athletics Vice President Khura Buthelezi gave the event which will take place at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on 24 September his stamp of approval. Shenge highlighted the importance of good organisation saying the Ntenga race has not grown by accident - its success is testament to the good organisation which delivers a memorable experience for runners. 

"The race is happening in September but it is launched in April, it must tell you something about the organisation and the people behind the race. It’s an important race on our calendar and we appreciate the way they use the event to change lives. They don't make any money from the race. I'm hoping they will continue to grow even further.” 

To satisfy their philanthropic mission, all funds generated from this year's race will support communities struggling to access potable water. Ntenga stated that they have received proposals from areas on the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal, where they are considering installing boreholes to help solve the problem of access to water.

"This is a unique race where all the money made from the event is donated to changing people’s lives. It's very sad in our time that there are communities without clean water and that drives us to try and close that gap. So we go out to areas where they never had water before to install boreholes for people to access water. In order for the boreholes to remain protected, we usually install it at school where all members of the community can still access it."