Voet van Afrika
History
The toughest race with the warmest heart.
Looking back
A rich history
– SINCE 1977 –
The race dates back to 1977 – when the Bredasdorp Athletics Club was established. At the time, an icon named Eps Joubert was chair of the club. He sparked the idea to start a truly Overberg marathon; a unique marathon given our special location close to Africa’s southernmost tip.
How it started
October 1978
And so, in October 1978, the FIRST Voet van Afrika Marathon was held.
The race was won by ex-Matie, Stephan Donald, competing against 169 runners. His winning time was 2:43:20.
An article from 27 October 1978 quotes feedback from athletes at this first race. “Tough, challenging and a combination of marathon and a trail run. You definitely have something that will grow into a big marathon.” Prescient words, indeed.
PAST Marathon WINNERS
Over the years, notable long-distance athletes have competed and won our marathon. These include:
Lindile Tokota
Ursula Frans
MTHANDAZO QHINA
CANDYCE HALL
BERNARD RUKADZA
CANDYCE HALL
EVENT CANCELLED
EVENT CANCELLED
SIYABULELA MPONGWANA
CANDYCE HALL
SIVIWE MKOMBI
CANDYCE HALL
ADMIRE RUSHIKA
CANDYCE HALL
TARISAI RUKADZA
E. Middlemost
EVENT CANCELLED COVID19
EVENT CANCELLED COVID19
EVENT CANCELLED COVID19
EVENT CANCELLED COVID19
MTHANDAZO QHINA
Jade Bucklow
Ricardo Swarts
2023
Cornel Stander
(In 1978, only men participated in the marathon. The women at the time ran our half marathon).
Our FIRST half marathon winner was Thelma Rossouw
(in a time of 1:40:29). In 1980, the world-famous Elana Meyer won this event. But as she was too young to participate, she was not officially crowned.
Other half marathon winners include:
– Liz Eglington
– Noo Scales
– Frith van der Merwe
– Grace De’Oliveira
– Marie Hill
In 1998, we added a 10km race for our up-and-coming and less experienced runners. And in 2002, the half marathon was opened for men.
Resources
Resources for Runners
What an amazing race. Will definitely return. Thank you Bredasdorp for your hospitality.
– Tracey van Niekerk
