Big Five Marathon
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| Big Five Marathon | |
|---|---|
| Date | June |
| Location | Entabeni Game Reserve, South Africa |
| Event type | Road |
| Distance | Marathon, Half marathon |
| Established | 2005 |
| Organizer | Albatros Adventure Marathons |
| Course records | Men's: 3:15:31 (2025) Nedd BrockmannWomen's: 3:45:24 (2016)  Anne-Sophie Eriksen |
| Official site | Big Five Marathon |
| Participants | 195 (2024)[1] |
The Big Five Marathon is a marathon race situated on the savannahs of South Africa. The race gets its name from the famous animals of Africa referred to as The Big Five Game: lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo. The course of The Big Five Marathon runs through the private game reserve Entabeni in the Limpopo Province, situated between Johannesburg and the Kruger National Park. Even though the course runs directly through a lion territory, 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 takes place in the wintertime, the sun can be brutal on the open savannahs. In addition to this, the marathon's loop course has a diffence in elevation of more than more than 540 m between the lowest and the highest points.[2] In 2025, Nedd Brockmann completed the course in 3:15:31, beating the previous record held Johannes Oosthuizen since 2010, by 30 seconds. [3]
