Jeppe Marathon combines tradition and community for 6 500 runners

The Balwin Run Series Jeppe may have undergone several name changes over the years, but the race and the essence behind it have remained the same.

With 6 500 entrants expected to take part in the 5km, 10km, 21km and 42km distances on September 20, the race continues to combine a long-running sporting tradition with its strong links to the local community and Saheti School.

Race director Bruce King said Jeppe Athletics Club believes that the history of the race and the relationship it has built up with Saheti are important elements in the event’s success.

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According to Saheti School head of marketing and admissions Nicola Palma, on July 28, 2012, Saheti launched the Saheti Athens Classic Marathon Initiative to raise sponsorship for the George Bizos Saheti Scholarship and Bursary Fund.

The initiative was closely associated with the late advocate George Bizos, who strongly supported education and believed that children from disadvantaged backgrounds should have access to quality education.

The George Bizos Mini Marathon, held at Saheti on September 30, 2012, brought this fundraising purpose into a community sporting event.

More than 500 runners and walkers took part in the 4.2km and 8.4km races through Senderwood.

The event was named in honour of Bizos and symbolised his own ‘marathon of life’ – his long struggle for human rights, justice and positive social change.

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Currently, the George Bizos 5km Fun Run carries forward the same basic philosophy and has been integrated alongside the Balwin Sport Jeppe Marathon.

The Jeppe Marathon has its roots in the long-running sporting tradition of the Jeppe Quondam Club, founded in 1907, and the Jeppe athletics programme, which began with morning runs organised by former Jeppe learner Theo Jackson in 1976 before the athletics section was formally established in 1978.

For many years, the race was known as the Pick n Pay Marathon (PnP Marathon), reflecting Pick n Pay’s role as title sponsor. By 2019, the event was in its 15th year under the PnP identity and featured the 42.2km marathon, 21.1km half marathon and shorter races.

In 2020, the event was named the Jeppe Marathon, with the official entry information describing it as the ‘Jeppe Marathon (previously PnP Marathon)’.

This represented a continuation of the established race rather than the creation of an entirely new event. Jeppe Quondam Athletics Club remained the organiser, while Saheti School in Senderwood continued as the start and finish venue.

Following the disruption caused by Covid-19, the race returned as the Jeppe Marathon and subsequently became part of the Balwin Run Series.

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The Balwin Run Series provides a broader platform for established road-running events, while the Jeppe event retains its own history, identity and connection to Jeppe Quondam Athletics Club and Saheti.

Meanwhile, King explained that the Jeppe leg of the Balwin Run Series is the last leg in the series for the year and the last opportunity for runners to get their entry in and enter the competition at a Balwin development to win a R1m apartment.

King said that with the sponsorship of Balwin, they have been able to improve the size of their field every year since the inception of this sponsorship and they are building the race back up to the stature that it deserves on the running calendar.

The four distances allow runners from all different running spectrums to take part and enjoy the day. The race director noted that participation in shorter distances is growing worldwide.

“There are more and more younger people taking up running merely for fun and to stay fit who do not want to run marathons. We still have these traditional distances and are an official qualifier race for the Two Oceans and Comrades Marathon,” King said.

Beyond their finishing time, Jeppe Athletics Club and Balwin would like participants to come down and enjoy a day out and have fun.

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“We want to offer a quality event with value for money. We want runners to leave and feel they must enter again next year and tell their friends what they missed. Balwin Run Series races are worth every cent you spend as it comes back to you in so many ways,” King said.

For King, all the people behind the scenes are the people who make these races possible. Without the assistance of volunteers, sponsors, food vendors, Jeppe club members, traffic officers and SARZA officials, they could not host such a successful event. He added: “So to each and every one of them I say thank you.”