Leading the charge in the colours of Nedbank running club will be Ethiopia’s Daba Ifa Debele, winner of the 2022 Soweto Marathon who narrowly missed out on defending his title last year when he lost his lead over the final 2km to finish 40 seconds behind the winner in 2nd. Alongside him, fellow countryman Gadisa Bekele Gutama will also be eyeing out the top step of the podium. In 2022, it was Gutama who made an early break, only to be passed right outside the stadium to finish 2nd behind Debele. The Ethiopian duo know the course well and are looking for a top performance.

“All of our athletes who have been training in Addis Ababa for Soweto are looking very good for the race,” said Belay Hagos, manager and coach to a host of Nedbank running club Ethiopian athletes.

Skipping the Cape Town Marathon this year where previously they recorded marathon pb’s of 2:13 at, former Comrades winners Edward Mothibi and Tete Dijana are looking to keep the title of Soweto Marathon champion on South African soil. Both have been training in camp and are looking forward to race day, with Dijana taking his first serious shot at the Soweto Marathon and Mothibi a multiple former top 10 finisher.

Nedbank running club Zimbabwe’s Isaac Mpofu may just be the dangerman that quietly sneaks in for an upset. The Zimbabwe national record holder in the marathon with a 2:06:48 best is a formidable international athlete who finished 6th at this years Boston Marathon and 19th at the Paris Olympic Games Marathon.

This years Two Oceans Marathon winner Onalenna Khonkobe also makes the trip to Soweto in search of capping off a very successful 2024. Lesotho 10km national record holder Namakoe Nkhasi is starting to move up to the marathon distance with a more concentrated effort and can also easily spring a surprise.

In the women’s race, all eyes will be on Nedbank running club’s Tadu Nare. With a 2:17 marathon personal best which ranks her as one of the fastest female marathon runners in history, Nare will be very tough to beat, coming off her recent R1 million win at the Mpumalanga Marathon in what was essentially a long run for her. She will be joined by fellow countrywomen Worke Degu Amena and Belainesh Yami Gurmu. Leading the South African charge will be the training duo of Slindile Chili and Galaletsang Mekgoe.

“We have assembled one of our strongest ever Nedbank running club green dream teams for the Soweto Marathon this year,” said Nick Bester, National team manager of the Nedbank running club. “Besides having the fastest ranked male and female athletes in the field on paper by a long way, we also have a very strong team that also consists of former winners and countless podium finishers.”

The Soweto Marathon takes place on Sunday, 3 November 2024 at Nasrec show grounds and will be broadcast live on SuperSport.