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WPA Cross Country Championships 2026

   The Runners and Clubs to Watch at ASA Nationals Welcome, fellow runners and fitness enthusiasts. The Western Province Athletics cross country championships on 15 August have given runners, coaches and supporters a useful look at who could make an impact when the ASA Cross Country Championships take place in Pretoria on 5 September. The provincial championships are an important part of that process. They show who is racing well, which clubs have depth and which athletes have managed to arrive at the end of the winter cross country season in good shape. WPA lists cross country as an important part of the development of middle and long-distance runners, with the discipline forming part of the wider provincial athletics programme. There is still a gap between a provincial championship and a national championship. A strong performance in Cape Town does not guarantee a medal in Pretoria. The national field will bring together athletes from across the country, and the conditions, ...
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Comrades 2027 Entries Open Tomorrow (25 Aug 2026)

   Here's What Actually Matters Welcome, fellow runners and fitness enthusiasts. Tomorrow at 10am, entries open for the 100th Comrades Marathon. If you've been avoiding the fine print because the ASA vs CMA fight made the whole thing feel shaky, stop putting it off. The race is happening. Entries are opening on schedule. The governance mess is a separate headache for a separate day - don't let it cost you a spot in the centenary edition. Here's the bit people keep getting wrong: entering does not let you skip qualifying. You still need a sub-5-hour marathon run somewhere between 15 June 2026 and 3 May 2027. I've had club mates assume a Green Number or an early window means the qualifying time doesn't apply to them. It does. Every single time, no exceptions. The Windows Green Number and Yellow Number athletes, plus Amabeadibeadi charity entries, get first crack tomorrow - 10am to 4:30pm on 31 August, or sooner if the cap fills before then. CMA members get...
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ASA vs CMA

What's Really Going On With the Comrades Marathon? Welcome, fellow runners and fitness enthusiasts.  The ongoing dispute between Athletics South Africa (ASA) and the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) has become one of the biggest talking points in South African running. For many runners, though, the situation can feel complicated and difficult to follow. The debate involves everything from race sanctioning and federation structures to membership, governance, licensing, broadcasting rights and legal processes. At the centre of it all is the Comrades Marathon and, more importantly, its historic 100th edition scheduled for 13 June 2027. What should be a celebration of one of the world's most iconic ultra-marathons has instead become overshadowed by an escalating governance battle. The dispute has now reached a critical point. ASA has publicly stated that the 2027 Comrades Marathon is not sanctioned by the national federation, while the CMA has made it clear that it intends to c...
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Conquer Your Inner Critic

Building Unstoppable Running Confidence Welcome, fellow runners and fitness enthusiasts. There's a voice that shows up on a lot of runs. You know the one. It starts quiet. Maybe you've been running twenty minutes and everything feels fine. Breathing's steady, legs feel good. Then a thought shows up. This is getting hard. A few minutes later: I'm slowing down. Then the one that really gets inside your head. Maybe I'm not good enough to do this. The strange part is your body might still be perfectly capable of carrying you through. Breathing under control, pace right where it should be. And yet you're suddenly arguing with yourself while jogging down the road. Every runner deals with some version of this. Confidence in running isn't something you have or don't have. It moves. A great session can leave you feeling ten feet tall. A rough run two days later can make you question the whole thing. That's normal. The goal isn't to silence eve...
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Beat the Bonk

Nutritional Strategies for Endurance Athletes Welcome, fellow runners and fitness enthusiasts. Every endurance athlete knows the feeling. Legs moving well, breathing under control, pace comfortable enough. Then somewhere around the halfway mark, things start to come apart. Pace drops. Legs go heavy in a way that has nothing to do with muscle soreness. You can't hold a thought. You start wondering, seriously, why you signed up for this. That's the bonk. It can arrive gradually or seemingly out of nowhere, one minute you're fine, the next you're empty. Nutrition is a big part of whether it happens to you. Training builds the fitness. Fuel is what lets that fitness actually show up when the distance gets long. And the good news is that sports nutrition doesn't require a cupboard full of powders and gadgets. You need to understand what your body is burning, feed it enough carbohydrate, drink sensibly, and rehearse the plan before race day. There's also going t...
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Running Beyond the Stopwatch

Building a Running Life That Actually Lasts Welcome, fellow runners and fitness enthusiasts. Most of us start running for a specific reason. Maybe it's a first parkrun, or shedding a few kilograms, or that half marathon your mate talked you into, or, if you're chasing something bigger, a Comrades medal. Nothing wrong with that. A goal gives you a reason to get out of bed on a cold Highveld morning when the bed is warm and the road isn't. But talk to anyone who's been running for ten, twenty years, and they'll tell you something the beginners haven't figured out yet: running stops being a sport you do and becomes something closer to how you live. That shift matters more than any training plan. Once running is just part of your week like brushing your teeth or putting the kettle on, you stop needing motivation to get out the door. You just go. Training for an Event vs Living Like a Runner Here's the difference. Training is what happens in the twelve we...
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The Hidden Training Session

Why easy runs are the secret weapon of successful runners Welcome, fellow runners and fitness enthusiasts.  Ask most runners what makes them faster, and you'll hear the usual answers: speed work, hill repeats, track sessions, and long runs. While those workouts certainly matter, there is another training session that often gets overlooked. Ironically, it may be the one that contributes the most to long-term improvement. I'm talking about the easy run. For many runners, especially those chasing a new personal best, easy running feels almost too simple. There is a temptation to push harder, run faster, and turn every outing into a test of fitness. Yet some of the world's best runners spend the majority of their training time running at a comfortable pace. That is not laziness. It is strategy. What Exactly Is an Easy Run? An easy run is performed at a relaxed pace where conversation feels natural. You should be able to speak in full sentences without feeling out of breath. Thi...
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