The Big Five Marathon is a

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

race situated on the savannahs of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. The race gets its name from the famous animals of Africa referred to as The

Big Five Game In Africa, the Big Five game animals are the lion, leopard, black rhinoceros, African bush elephant, and African buffalo. They are examples of charismatic megafauna, featuring prominently in popular culture, and are among the most famous of ...

: lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo. The course of The Big Five Marathon runs through the private game reserve Entabeni in the

Limpopo Province Limpopo is the northernmost Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The capital and largest city in the province is Polokwane, while th ...

, situated between

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

and the

Kruger National Park Kruger National Park is a South African National Park and one of the largest game reserves in Africa. It covers an area of in the provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga in northeastern South Africa, and extends from north to south and from ea ...

. Even though the course runs directly through a lion

territory A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or a ...

, 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 is taking place in the wintertime, the sun can be brutal on the open savannahs. In addition to this, the course will be ascending quite a lot from beginning to end.

History

The Big Five Marathon appeared for the first time in 2005, and has been held annually since then. In 2007 The Big Five Marathon was held on June 30. The overall winner was American Jerry Spears, who finished by 3:18:13, 24 minutes before the runner-up crossed the line. Among the women 45-year-old Lynn Biesheuvel, also from South Africa, was the fastest by 4:17:31. In 2008, The Big Five Marathon happened on June 28. The winner of the marathon was 28-year-old Hylton Dunn from South Africa, who finished by 3:55:06. The fastest woman in the field was 32-year-old Canadian Heather White, who crossed the finish line after 4:42:42. In the half marathon distance, two South Africans took home the gold: Wihan Swanepoel (1:53:18) and Lynn Biesheuvel (2:03:48) won in the men's and women's contests, respectively. The Big Five Marathon 2009 had the same male marathon winner as last year, South African Hylton Dunn, who even cut 25 minutes off his finish time from last year's and finished by 3:30:06. In the women's marathon field Australian Richeller Turner crossed the finish line as the first one after 4 hours, 43 minutes and 6 seconds of running. The half marathon winners were South African Wihan Swanepoel (1:44:20) and South African Kim Laxton (1:44:20). A total of 115 runners crossed the finish line in the two distances.

Past results

Key:

References

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External links

Additional info o
the official Big Five Marathon website
Marathons in South Africa Athletics competitions in South Africa Recurring sporting events established in 2005 Wheelchair marathons