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In early April, the athletics community went into a frenzy over a flyer that circulated revealing “a million up for grabs!” marathon cash prize.
At the time, it turned out that the pamphlet was actually a draft leaked by an unknown source while the race organisers of the Mpumalanga Marathon were still in the consultation phase with stakeholders.
However, it has come to light this week that the event and the cash prize are indeed legitimate.
Race director Caleb Lekhuleni told City Press that entries opened on Wednesday for the 42km race, which is scheduled for 14 September in Mbombela.
According to Lekhuleni, the winning man and woman will get R1 million each.
The runners-up will get R150 000, while the third-placed athletes will receive R100 000.
As is the tradition with marathons, the rest of the top 10 finishers also qualify for prize money.
The race is targeting 16 000 entries.
Asked how the Mpumalanga Marathon managed to raise the whopping cash incentives, Lekhuleni said the organisers convinced, among other donors, the provincial government to join a few corporates, which are contributing financially and in-kind.
He said, in total, close to R30 million had been accumulated from fund raising, with a number of partners contributing R100 000 and more to occupy prime space on the event poster and other advertising spaces.
The staggering winners’ purse makes the Mpumalanga Marathon the highest paying 42km race on the continent.
Kenya’s Eldoret City Marathon was all along considered to be the highest-paying marathon in Africa.
The winning man and woman each get 3.5 million Kenyan shillings, which is about R490 000.
But it’s still the only marathon in Africa that awards the top 20 finishers with cash prizes.
With regard to the Mpumalanga race, Lekhuleni said extensive research was done, including consultation with the athletes and athletics running clubs to determine the prize money.
When the million bucks offer was agreed on as the first prize, some thought it was a scam.
“Somehow, a draft flyer was leaked into the public space while we were waiting for ASA [Athletics SA] and Athletics Mpumalanga [Ampu] to approve the race.
Lekhuleni recalled:
ASA confirmed to City Press that it has given the event the green light, a move that prompted Ampu to also sanction the race.
The approval by relevant authorities means all the times that the runners will record on race day will be officially recognised by World Athletics.
The marathon was initially scheduled for Women’s Day, 9 August, but ASA advised the organisers to move it to September.
This because the event would have been overshadowed by the Olympics, which are taking place in Paris from 29 July until 11 August.
The Mpumalanga Marathon will start from Dayizenza Plaza and finish at the Riverside Mall in Mbombela, both entities also being the partners of the race.
Lekhuleni said the plan to organise such a high-paying marathon had been on the works for some time.
The Mpumalanga Marathon is not entirely new as it has been organised since 2018, running as a low-key event.
On average, local flagship 42km races pay the winners slightly over R200 000.
The Comrades Marathon’s million first prize is R500 000 and the same amount is awarded if the winner has recorded the best time.
This played out last year when Tete Dijana and Gerda Steyn each delivered record-breaking performances. The pair took home R1.2 million each in prize money from a day’s work on the down run from Pietermaritzburg to Durban – that’s R500 000 for the victory, and the same amount for beating the best time, as well as R200 000 for being the first South Africans over the finish line.
