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Check out this week’s awesome Benoni Northerns Marathon power-wrap when your City Times arrives in the postbox today, or read what the marathon is all about here:

How it all came about

The renamed Benoni Northerns Marathon will take place on the morning of Sunday, April 24, and is set to be a real thriller.

The marathon has changed over time, but the challenge of getting to the finish remains the same.

Although the race in its entirety has changed over the decades it can still be considered one of the oldest marathons in South Africa.

Initially run as the Golden Reef Marathon in the ’70s, the 42km route stretched along the gold reef, starting in Johannesburg and finishing on the East Rand.

In the 1980s it was taken over by the newly-formed Benoni Northerns Athletics Club (BNAC) and the race received sponsorship from Fred Thompson Machine Tools.

When Fred Thompson ended sponsorship the marathon received an elaborate sponsorship from Lucozade and became the Lucozade Gold Marathon, which attracted large fields of 3 000 to 4 000 runners.

Soon it would prove too expensive and cumbersome to run the route through four municipalities and the Lucozade Marathon came to Benoni.

A circular route was established through the streets of the city, with Slow-Mag taking over the title sponsorship in the early 1990s, a partnership that would last 23 years.

The company withdrew their sponsorship in 2016 and the BNAC committee took it upon themselves to finance the race, which has now become the Benoni Northerns Marathon.

Can these records be beaten on Sunday?

Benoni Northerns Marathon (former SlowMag Marathon) current record holders:

• 42.2km: Men: Ndabili Bashingili (Botswana) set the record in 2011 in a time of two hours, 21 minutes and 14 seconds. Women: Frith van der Merwe (Boksburg Athletic Club) set the record in 2003 in a time of two hours, 56 minutes and 16 seconds.

• 50km (started in 2012): Men: Elias Mabane (Nedbank) set the record in 2014 in a time of two hours, 59 minutes and one second. Women: Julanie Basson (Toyota) set the record in 2013 in a time of three hours, 33 minutes and 53 seconds.

• 10km (started in 2013): Men: Abram Khumalo (University of Johannesburg) set the record in 2013 in a time of 31 minutes and two seconds.

Women: Christine Kalmer (Nedbank) set the record in 2013 in a time of 35 minutes and 39 seconds.

Affected and closed roads on Sunday morning

Take note of affected and closed roads

The following roads will be affected or closed for the running of the Benoni Northerns Marathon on Sunday.

Motorists are urged to heed patience on the morning of the run.

• 21.1km/42.2km/50km (affected roads):

Hanekam Street, Yellowwood Street, Leeubekkie Street, Syringa Street, Oak Street, Benoni Road, Pres Steyn Road, Pres Boshoff Road, Baines Street, Moodie Street, Cragg Street, Hartshorne Street, Waterson Street, Hills Street, Potgieter Street, Hartley Street, Parker Street, Zimbali Drive, Victor Petersen Drive, Waterberry Drive, Yellowwood Street, Ebotse Drive, Joubert Street, Jorissen Street, Korsman Street, Malherbe Road, Nestadt Street, Davidson Street, Malcolm Street, Curtis Street, Madeley Street, Brodigan Street, Struben Street.

• 5km fun run/10km (affected roads):

Hanekam Street, Yellowwood Street, Leeubekkie Street, Tecoma Street, Dahlia Street, Yew Street, Stokroos Street (5km ends in Hanekam at the swimming pool). 10km continues on from Strokroos into Pine Street, Malva Street, Dahlia Street, Laventel Street and Mahogany Street.

• Closure:

Brodigan Street between O’Reilly Merry and Hanekam streets will be closed to traffic.

Pete will be on the beat at the Northerns Marathon

What would road running events in South Africa be without the distinctive voice of race commentator Pete van der Merwe?

An ever-present character at the finish line of any major running event in the country, van der Merwe will again be a familiar face for runners who arrive at the start and finish lines of the various races at the Benoni Northerns Marathon, on Sunday.

He can also be seen every year at the club’s Rowlin Nation Glow Run, in November, and at Benoni Harriers Athletic Club’s Johnson Crane Marathon, in January.

A wealth of knowledge on all things running, van der Merwe believes that the new-name Benoni Northerns Marathon will deliver a true test for those heading to Durban for the Comrades Marathon at the end of May.

He has been the announcer at the race for a number of years and is a fan of the Benoni race due its tremendous community feel, the fantastic scenery on offer and its efficient organisation.

“It has been a staple on the running calendar for over 20 years and is organised at an extremely high level by the Benoni Northerns Athletic Club, which is steered by Jan Jordaan and his organising committee,” he told the City Times.

“The guys on the organising committee are all active runners themselves and know and understand what the running committee needs – that’s what makes it popular.”

He also believes that the race is held at the perfect time of year, as serious runners gear up for Comrades.

“The 42.2km route is a double of the 21.1km single route and the extra kilometres added for the 50km ultra-marathon make it a firm favourite among ultra runners a month before Comrades,” he said.

Show your courage at the marathon

Logan Green, City Times sports journalist writes:

Ever since I started working at the City Times as the local sports journalist I have always thoroughly enjoyed reporting on and covering running events.

We actually have three awesome road running races hosted in Benoni throughout the year and all of them, to me, play a wonderful role in the marketing of the city to the general running public, who converge on these events in their thousands from far and wide.

The Benoni Northerns Marathon, organised by Benoni Northerns Athletic Club (BNAC), on Sunday, is set to be another reminder of why Benonians are, in fact, the business.

Earlier this year it was announced that the Benoni City Times and Caxton Local Newspapers had come on-board with the Benoni Northerns Marathon as official media sponsors of the race.

We have covered the race since its old Golden Reef Marathon days and I am thrilled that we can be a part of it in its renamed 2016 form.

Our slogan in our media coverage to date has been: “The miracle isn’t that I finished! The miracle is that I had the courage to start!”

And, courage is what it is all about at the Benoni Northerns Marathon.

The elite athletes will, naturally, show off their incredible mettle and the amazing endurance that is required to compete at their level, but, for the average Joe, like you and I, simply lacing up those running shoes and taking to the tarmac in the 10km or 5km races is where the true courage will be showcased.

I’m talking about the people who will get out of their beds on an extremely early Sunday morning to sweat it out on the road – the true courageous heroes.

You don’t need to be Bruce Fordyce or Frith van der Merwe in their prime to get active and to have a good run.

By running at your own pace and accomplishing your own personal goals on the road you are already miles ahead of those McDonalds-munching, Playstation-playing couch potatoes, who will still be fast asleep at 6.40am on Sunday.

You can still sign up for these races from 4am, at Northerns.

At the end of 2015 I began running the 4km route at the BNAC time trials, held at Homestead Dam every Tuesday, and man, am I enjoying it.

It has been marvellous to see so many Benonians gathering to get fit together and setting their own personal landmarks while taking in the beauty of Benoni at the same time.

I believe that a fit community is a happy community and we’re well on our way to achieving that.

So, how about seeing how you do by attempting either the 5km fun run or the 10km route on Sunday?

The City Times team will also be there, so give us a big, broad smile for the camera when you see us.

Follow us on Twitter @benonicitytimes or follow me @logankgreen for updates on the race if you cannot be there.

I also appeal to motorists to keep a look-out at the closed and affected roads above, so as not to cause any frustrations or any unnecessary injuries to participants.

Good luck to everybody out there on Sunday.

Be courageous!

LG