| Bgcolour: |
|
| Date: | June |
| Location: | Entabeni Game Reserve, South Africa |
| Type: | Road |
| Distance: | Marathon, Half marathon |
| Est: | 2005 |
| Participants: | 195 (2024)[1] |
| Record: | Men's: 3:16:01 (2010) Johannes Oosthuizen Women's: 3:45:24 (2016) Anne-Sophie Eriksen |
The Big Five Marathon is a marathon race situated on the savannahs of South Africa. The race gets its name from the famous animals of Africa referred to as The Big Five Game: lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo.The course of The Big Five Marathon runs through the private game reserve Entabeni in the Limpopo Province, situated between Johannesburg and the Kruger National Park. Even though the course runs directly through a lion territory, safety problems will not be an issue as the route is watched by helicopters and armed rangers.The course of the marathon is atypical for its magnificent savannah scenery among the wildlife of South Africa as well as for its toughness. Even though the marathon takes place in the wintertime, the sun can be brutal on the open savannahs. In addition to this, the marathon's loop course has a diffence in elevation of more than more than 540 m between the lowest and the highest points.[2]
The Big Five Marathon was first held in 2005 and has since grown in popularity, attracting marathon runners from around the world. The race was established with the intention of offering a unique adventure marathon experience in the heart of the African wilderness, combining endurance sports with the thrill of proximity to wildlife.[3] [4]
Key:
| Year | Men's winner | Time (h:m:s) | Women's winner | Time (h:m:s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005[5] | 3:49:38 | 4:22:15 | |||
| 2006 | 3:35:59 | 4:47:01 | |||
| 2007 | 3:18:13 | 4:17:31 | |||
| 2008 | 3:55:56 | 4:42:42 | |||
| 2009 | 3:30:06 | 4:43:06 | |||
| 2010 | 3:16:01 | 4:06:14 | |||
| 7th | 3:36:04 | 3:47:07 | |||
| 2012 | 3:48:18 | 4:01:13 | |||
| 2013 | 3:50:45 | 4:26:31 | |||
| 2014 | 3:23:37 | 4:12:57 | |||
| 2015 | 3:24:52 | 4:03:33 | |||
| 2016 | 3:53:18 | 3:45:24 | |||
| 2017 | 3:28:03 | 4:00:23 | |||
| 2018 | 3:35:49 | 4:10:10 | |||
| 2019 | 3:40:13 | 4:06:49 | |||
| 2020 event cancelled | |||||
| 2021 | 3:38:41 | 4:47:46 | |||
| 2022 | 4:12:14 | 4:11:32 | |||
| 2023 | 4:21:13 | 4:16:44 | |||
| 2024 | 4:01:14 | 3:54:25 |