{"id":29326,"date":"2025-09-16T13:18:25","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T11:18:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/?p=29326"},"modified":"2026-03-12T09:50:51","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T07:50:51","slug":"soweto-marathon-2025-faces-uncertainty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/soweto-marathon-2025-faces-uncertainty\/","title":{"rendered":"Soweto Marathon 2025 Faces Uncertainty Despite Thousands of Entries"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The 30th edition of the Soweto Marathon 2025, famously known as <em>The People\u2019s Race<\/em>, is scheduled to take place at Nasrec Stadium, Johannesburg, on 30 November. Thousands of runners have already signed up, but the event\u2019s future is clouded by an ongoing ownership dispute that threatens to derail one of the country\u2019s most iconic races.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-soweto-marathon-entries-and-race-details\">Soweto Marathon Entries and Race Details<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Entries for this year\u2019s Soweto Marathon are still open, with three popular race categories:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Standard Marathon (42.2 km):<\/strong> Starts at 05:30 \u2013 entry fee <strong>R380<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Half-Marathon (21.1 km):<\/strong> Starts at 06:30 \u2013 entry fee <strong>R300<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>10 km Run:<\/strong> Starts at 07:30 \u2013 entry fee <strong>R280<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>As tradition dictates, the Soweto Marathon 2025 route will take athletes past eight heritage landmarks, including Vilakazi Street, the Hector Pieterson Memorial, and Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital. These sites make the event not only a test of endurance but also a journey through history and culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In keeping with its commitment to equality, male and female winners will receive the same prize money. The champions of the full marathon stand to pocket R250 000 each, making it one of the richest races on the African running calendar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">SOWETO MARATHON:<br><br>Will the event take place or not? We are receiving registration emails, but conflicting views are being expressed, resulting in confusion. We require guidance before registering, training, and travelling to avoid a wasted effort. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/M9PsoYSCx4\">pic.twitter.com\/M9PsoYSCx4<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Mthandeni Nene (@MthandeniNene) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MthandeniNene\/status\/1967476130790924451?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">September 15, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"gaute-2577988608\" class=\"gaute-inbetween-content gaute-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><div class=\"gaute-adlabel\">Advertisement<\/div><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1852772760112594\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1852772760112594\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1819787043\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-who-really-owns-the-people-s-race\">Who Really Owns the People\u2019s Race?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>While excitement builds among runners, a bitter dispute has cast a long shadow over the event. For years, the Soweto Marathon Trust (SMT) was the custodian of the race. But in 2023 and 2024, the responsibility shifted to Soweto Marathon (Pty) Ltd, which soon ran into financial troubles, leading to frozen bank accounts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This financial fallout paved the way for the creation of a new body, Soweto Marathon Clubs (NPC), established in July 2024. The problem? Both SMT and NPC now claim the right to stage the 2025 race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/sundayworld.co.za\/sports\/athletes-pull-out-of-soweto-marathon-amid-war-over-race-ownership\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The situation<\/a> escalated further when Central Gauteng Athletics (CGA) approved two dates: 2 November for SMT and 30 November for NPC. In response, SMT issued a strongly worded statement vowing to block the November 30 event, even threatening that the race \u201cwill not take place this year\u201d if imposters attempt to hijack it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-athletes-and-supporters-losing-faith\">Athletes and Supporters Losing Faith<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The uncertainty has already driven athletes away. Long-time participants have expressed frustration, with some demanding refunds and others questioning the legitimacy of the race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One veteran runner said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cI always run this race, and I\u2019ve already paid for this year. But I want to withdraw because I\u2019m not sure if it will happen. Even if it does, I don\u2019t trust its legitimacy.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>On social media, anger is boiling over. Some are calling for boycotts, while others accuse politicians of meddling in sport for personal gain. One frustrated comment read:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cThey are systematically destroying the People\u2019s Race. This will end like many other events that collapsed because of greed.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">From what I\u2019m gathering, entering for the Soweto Marathon is at your own risk.<\/p>&mdash; L e b o \u2661\ud83c\udf3a\ud83e\udd8b (@Kelebogile_M2) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kelebogile_M2\/status\/1967663668251988453?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">September 15, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The chaos and the incompetence of Soweto Marathon organisers \ud83d\udeae\ud83d\udeae<\/p>&mdash; Malume (@bozzie_t) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/bozzie_t\/status\/1967617982018052403?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">September 15, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"gaute-616049042\" class=\"gaute-inbetween-content gaute-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><div class=\"gaute-adlabel\">Advertisement<\/div><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1852772760112594\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1852772760112594\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1819787043\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-marathon-administrators-under-pressure\">Marathon Administrators Under Pressure<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The administrative confusion has deepened after CGA\u2019s newly appointed administrator, Trevor Fredericks, distanced himself from the issue, saying he only assumed office a week ago. General manager Mandla Radebe has yet to respond publicly, leaving runners with little clarity on who is actually in charge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Also read:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/from-training-to-qualification-how-to-successfully-enter-the-comrades-marathon\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">From Training to Qualification: How to Successfully Enter the Comrades Marathon<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-future-of-the-people-s-race-hangs-in-the-balance\">The Future of the People\u2019s Race Hangs in the Balance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Soweto Marathon 2025 was meant to be a celebration of 30 years of the <em>People\u2019s Race<\/em>. Instead, it has become a battlefield of politics, money, and power. With thousands of runners already registered and eager to compete, the biggest question remains unanswered: Will the starting gun fire on 30 November, or will the Soweto Marathon become another casualty of mismanagement?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The 30th edition of the Soweto Marathon 2025, famously known as The People\u2019s Race, is scheduled to take place at Nasrec Stadium, Johannesburg, on 30 November. Thousands of runners have already signed up, but the event\u2019s future is clouded by an ongoing ownership dispute that threatens to derail one of the country\u2019s most iconic races.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":29341,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_focus_keyword":"","rank_math_title":"","rank_math_description":"The 30th edition of the Soweto Marathon 2025, famously known as The People\u2019s Race, is scheduled to take place at Nasrec Stadium, Johannesburg, on 30 November....","footnotes":""},"categories":[56,64],"tags":[11108,280],"class_list":{"0":"post-29326","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"category-sports-news","9":"tag-latest-sports-news","10":"tag-sports-in-gauteng"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29326","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29326"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29326\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29342,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29326\/revisions\/29342"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29341"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}