Spring Has Sprung!

The Spring edition of RUN mag is now available on shelves nationwide!

We had an absolute blast putting together this beefy 150-page coffee table keepsake. It’s packed with everything you need to get excited about the new season!

Winter in South Africa is something special. It’s never too cold to run, even up on the Highveld, where the frost at sunrise creates a fantasy world coated in shiny diamonds. In the rainy regions, the bush turns a vibrant green, and rivers and streams flow with fresh water.

What’s even better about winter are the off-season easy runs and some superb trail races as we start looking forward to longer days, blooming flowers, and races in the spring. It’s the perfect time to reflect on why you love running and set new personal goals.

This winter was particularly inspiring, with the exciting build-up to the Paris Olympics and two weeks of the highest level of athleticism you could ever witness. The Paris Olympics were nothing short of spectacular! If you weren’t inspired to run faster or further by those sensational heats, head-to-heads, and finals, you might just have sloth genes :)

Our South African athletes in green and gold were incredible. Competing against countries with much greater resources, they not only reached the finals but also brought home medals! These heroes made us all so proud. Nobody embodies the spirit of gritty determination more than Akani Simbine. After 10 years of climbing the ranks of the fastest men on the planet, he broke the SA record and crushed the anchor leg of the relay to win a spectacular silver medal for his young, inexperienced teammates and the country.

We are celebrating his spirit on our cover. We hope that picture makes you smile and inspires you to run fast. Relive that and a few other bright, bold, and emotional Paris moments in our photo gallery.

You may have been surprised to see a very young South African woman finishing the Olympic marathon ahead of Gerda and Irvette. That’s Cian Oldknow. After speaking to her before the Olympics, we had a feeling she was our dark horse. She’s a rising star with a story of triumph over adversity that you’ll find fascinating in our deep and open interview.

We all love to run in beautiful places and discover new races, which is why travel is a big focus of our mag. We were very privileged to be among the soaked and stoked runners at the inaugural Mauritius by UTMB. As you’ll read, we and many other South Africans loved this unique experience, which is definitely one to add to your plans for 2025. Check out our extensive race calendar to see what else is happening for the rest of 2024.

We’re now off to UTMB Chamonix, the granddaddy of global trail runs. There are loads of interesting South Africans racing on the biggest stage. One of them, like Cian, has been flying under the radar. Doug Pickard is our highest-ranked South African racing the world’s biggest trail race. We got to know this talented guy who balances a busy work life and young kids with ease. Enjoy getting to know him and see how you can balance life and race strong, too.

Running across South Africa sounds both incredible and, to be honest, absurd. Even Freedom Challenge mountain bikers seem nuts, but Andy Wesson describes in detail what it’s like to run across our magical landscapes on the Freedom Trail in one go (well, actually in four separate goes).

One thing all of us runners have in common is the desire for more comfortable, faster, more supportive, and lighter running shoes to suit the different runs we do. We know how confusing all the technical jargon can be, especially with so many shoes now featuring carbon or TPU plates in the midsoles. Our big shoe feature demystifies this important topic to hopefully save you from sore feet and injuries caused by trying out the wrong shoes. Our expert podiatrists explain the different categories of shoes and how plated racers differ from daily trainers and all-out racing ‘supershoes’. You’ll learn which shoes best suit your needs and budget from what’s on the shelves this year.

These are just a few of the features that await you in this bumper issue, now available at leading magazine retailers. If you’ve only recently discovered RUN mag and like what you see, you can grab a great-value 2-mag pack at your local Woolies.

Prefer the convenience of digital reading or want both? Download it right now here!

Enjoy the mag, and don’t hesitate to share your stoke-fueled stories with us!