Big Five Marathon & Half

Big Five Safari & Panorama Route: 18 – 22 June

Join an exciting safari trip which includes game drives, bush walks, and explorations of the area along the famed Panorama Route. Spot the Big Five game and a wealth of bird species, as well as other African wildlife. Our camp is beautifully situated in the Manyeleti Game Reserve, bordering the famed Kruger National Park. Consisting of fifteen stylishly-appointed tents with modern en-suite facilities and private terraces, a pool, bar, lounge and dining area and spacious, lush lawns, the camp provides an authentic African safari experience. Ask the Marathon Tours & Travel team for more details and a full itinerary.

Prices from £1,365

Victoria Falls: 18 – 21 June

With a height of 108 metres, a combined width of 1,700 metres and picturesque rainforest backdrop, Victoria Falls is an impressive place to spend four days topping off your African adventure. You will stay 3 nights at Victoria Falls Safari Lodge with breakfast. Enjoy a tour of the falls, a sunset cruise on the Zambezi and a Boma Dinner Drum show as your included activities, along with hotel transfers and round-trip flights between Johannesburg and Victoria Falls. Ask the Marathon Tours & Travel team for more details and a full itinerary.

Prices from £1,635

Cape Town: 18 – 22 June

Underneath the renowned Table Mountain lies the blue, frothy waters of the Atlantic and Indian oceans. South Africa’s southern cape marks this oceanic convergence, and during your journey you pay a visit to one of the most famous of the meeting points – Cape Point at The Cape of Good Hope. Other activities that are sure to whet your whistle include a tour of the Winelands with tastings (of course!) and various highlights throughout Cape Town itself. Ask the Marathon Tours & Travel team for more details and a full itinerary.

Prices from £1,365

Marathon Tours & Travel 2025 Big Five Marathon Packages include:

Big Five Marathon & Half 2025 – 7 Day Package:

• 6 nights accommodation
• A choice of lodge, resort, and camp accommodations
• Full-board basis (starting with dinner on day 1 and ending with breakfast on the day of departure)
• Meet and greet on arrival
• Group transfers and game drives according to the itinerary
• Event Entries
• Marathon or Half Marathon – at an additional £275
• 2-week free trial of Coopah bespoke training plans. Details on how to claim will be sent in your booking confirmation email

Big Five Marathon & Half 2025 – 8 Day Package:

• 7 nights accommodation
• 2 nights at Zebra Stables and 5 nights at Legend Safari Resort
• Full-board basis (starting with dinner on day 1 and ending with breakfast on the day of departure)
• Meet and greet on arrival
• Group transfers and game drives according to the itinerary
• Event Entries
• Marathon or Half Marathon – at an additional £275
• 2-week free trial of Coopah bespoke training plans. Details on how to claim will be sent in your booking confirmation email

Race Entry Includes:

• English-speaking race officials
• Medical team
• Official Race T-shirt, Time taking and medal
• Supplies on the route
• Extensions and Excursions

Choice of 2 Distances

Elect to join one of two distances; the Full marathon – 42.195km/26.2m or the Half marathon – 21.1km/13.1m.

Race Date

Saturday June 14 2025

Race Time

09:00am (Marathon) and 09:15am (Half-Marathon)

Start/Finish

The Big Five Marathon starts and finishes at Lakeside Lodge on the upper escarpment. Runners staying at the other lodges will be transferred to Lakeside in Jeeps. An early breakfast will be served at each lodge before departure.

The marathon and half marathon have separate start times. The marathon is scheduled for 9am. The half marathon will start at 09:15am. Please note that the presence of wildlife near the route may cause delays.

All finishers will receive a medal at the finish line. After the race, a buffet lunch will be served at Lakeside Lodge. Jeeps going back to your own lodge will depart when full (10 passengers). It is possible to use a shower next to the medical facility at Lakeside. Please bring a towel along if you wish to shower before heading back from the finish area.

Route Description

The Big Five Marathon is known for its challenging course, which takes runners through incredible scenery and showcases the natural beauty and wildlife of South Africa.

The start and finish line are situated at Lakeside Lodge on the upper escarpment. After the start, the marathon and half marathon routes take the runners past Ravineside Lodge, the Entabeni Monolith and further on to the lower plateau. This first section is run on dirt roads made up of red sand. Runners will pass a few hills (nothing too bad – the most challenging is yet to come!). When you reach Hanglip View Point, you backtrack and run back before you reach Yellow Wood Valley. Pay attention to this section as the surface is very uneven with loose rocks, pebbles and holes.

The Yellow Wood Valley is the most dreaded part of the course. You are about to run down the steepest slope of your life! This sharp descent is on a paved surface. The next three kilometres or so will be excruciatingly hard on your quads as you negotiate the steep slope and you reach lion country after the descent. Although the next nine kilometres are flat, you’re running through deep sand. Full marathoners do a 9km loop, whereas half marathon runners run a 2km loop.

This brings us back to Yellow Wood. You guessed correctly – we’re going back up the dreaded hill this time! Be prepared to take things slowly as it’s virtually impossible to run up this hill.

The route carries on to Long Drive, a narrow valley, where marathon runners do a 6km loop. Half marathoners run across the valley and reach the final section of the route. This section is run on dirt trails, a welcome respite from the deep sand and loose stone terrain earlier on.

The end of the run is fairly hard (final four kilometres). We run halfway down the ridge, which provides us with a wonderful view out over the plateau’s lake. The surface is fairly challenging, consisting of hard uneven, stony ground with plenty of large rocks and stones of all sizes. This final part has quite a few hills and as the surface is loose, it pays to keep a careful watch on the ground as we run towards the finish. With the finish line in sight you can now take it nice and easy.

There will be no race pacers at this event.

Surface:

The surface varies from deep sand, dirt tracks and trails to paved roads and pebbly surfaces with holes. Take care when running along surfaces with loose stones and holes. The steep ascent and descent is run on a paved surface. For more information, see the elevation map.

Marathon cut-off times:

To ensure runners’ safety, three cut-off points have been established on the route:

Marathon:

• Cut-off 1 – 26.5km – 4 hours and 15 minutes after the start
• Cut-off 2 – 32.5km – 5 hours and 30 minutes after the start
• Cut-off 3 – finish line – 7 hours after the start

Half Marathon:

• Cut-off 1 – 10.5km – 4 hours after the start
• Cut-off 2 – 16.5 km – 5 hours and 15 minutes after the start
• Cut-off 3 – finish line – 6 hours and 45 minutes after the start

Runners who haven’t reached the cut-off points in time will not be allowed to continue and will be picked up by a ranger vehicle and taken back to the finish line. The cut-off times are strictly enforced to keep everybody safe!

The Seven Continents Club (SCC) offers a unique opportunity for runners to run on all seven continents of the globe, as well as providing numerous benefits to its members. The club operates as a global frequent traveller club for runners, offering waitlist priority for high-demand events, early pre-registration periods for a number of races in popular destinations and tour package vouchers for money off international tour packages. What’s more, Seven Continents Club rewards all its members for the extraordinary achievement of running marathons on each continent with their own special finishers medal and certificate of completion. Join the SCC today!