What does in cost for a South African to run a marathon? In this article, we break down costs and compare some of the most popular marathons in the country and abroad.
The cost of running might be higher than you think, but it would still undercut most of the popular mass-participation sports. To give some perspective, we also look at the cost of participating in an Ironman 70.3 race.
There are many factors that can influence costs, such as your desired level of luxury (i.e. 5-star or 1-star accommodation), your means of transportation, and the duration of your stay.
We will break this down on the assumption that you live in a metropolitan area, e.g. Cape Town or Johannesburg, and therefore you will travel to your race destination by air. Upon arrival, you will make use of car rental, taxi fare and/or public transport. All trips will include a 4-night stay in 3-star hotels, or 4-star Airbnb’s in South Africa.
Below is a list of races we have used to compare costs. These cost estimates are based on prices for 2025/2026, assuming that bookings are done early, and qualifying times have already been obtained where applicable.
- Cape Town Marathon
- Comrades Marathon
- London Marathon
- New York Marathon
- Paris Marathon
- Ironman 70.3 Durban
| CAPE TOWN MARATHON | |
| Expenses per person for 4x nights | ZAR (approximate) |
| Race entry fee | R 620.00 |
| Travel (air Fare) | R 3,200.00 |
| Taxi and/ or public transport (incl. uber to and from airport) | R 600.00 |
| Car hire | N/A |
| 3- star Hotel or 4 star rated Airbnb | R 5,500.00 |
| Food and drink, i.e. restaurants, coffee, home cooked meals. (Ave R700 per day) | R 2,800.00 |
| Race gear and nutrition (racing shoes, 6x Gels, recovery drink) | R 5,000.00 |
| Visa | N/A |
| Sightseeing: Table Mountain cable car | R 430.00 |
| Souvenir | R 100.00 |
| TOTAL COST: CAPE TOWN MARATHON | R 18,250.00 |
| COMRADES MARATHON | |
| Expenses per person for 4x nights at destination | ZAR (approximate) |
| Race entry fee | R 1,200.00 |
| Travel (air Fare) | R 2,700.00 |
| Taxi and/ or public transport incl commute between PMB-DBN | R 800.00 |
| Car hire | N/A |
| 3- star Hotel or 4 star rated Airbnb (in Durban) | R 4,500.00 |
| Food and drink, ie restaurants, coffee, home cooked meals. (ave R700 per day) | R 2,800.00 |
| Race gear and nutrition (racing shoes, 10x Gels, race food, recovery drink, etc) | R 5,500.00 |
| Visa | N/A |
| Visit Comrades Museum | R 0.00 |
| Souvenir | R 100.00 |
| TOTAL COST: COMRADES MARATHON | R 17,600.00 |
| LONDON MARATHON | ||
| Expenses per person for 4x nights at destination | GBP (GBP1 = ZAR 24.18) | ZAR (approximate) |
| Race entry fee (via ballot) | £ 150 | R 3,624.00 |
| Travel (air Fare) | R 15,000.00 | |
| Public transport (Train Day pass for all zones @ GBP16.30/ day – using trains for all commutes) | £ 65.20 | R 1,575.00 |
| Car hire | N/A | |
| 3- star Hotel (walking distance from finish) | R 9,000.00 | |
| Food and drink, i.e. restaurants, coffee, home cooked meals. (Ave £ 60/day) | £ 240.00 | R 5,799.00 |
| Race gear and nutrition (racing shoes, 6x Gels, recovery drink, etc.) | R 5,000.00 | |
| Visa | R 3,200.00 | |
| Sightseeing: Big Red bus tour | £ 43 | R 1,038.00 |
| Souvenir | £ 15 | R 362.00 |
| TOTAL COST: LONDON MARATHON | R 44,598.00 | |
| NEW YORK MARATHON | ||
| Expenses per person for 4x nights at destination | US Dollar (USD1 = ZAR 17.90) | ZAR (approximate) |
| Race entry fee | $ 315.00 | R 5,631.00 |
| Travel (air Fare) | R 15,000.00 | |
| Taxi and/ or public transport (incl. to & from airport, to race start, to and from expo) | $ 250.00 | R 4,470.00 |
| Car hire | N/A | |
| 3- star Hotel (walking distance from finish) | R 20,000.00 | |
| Food and drink, i.e. restaurants, coffee, home cooked meals. (Ave $100 per day) | $ 100/day | R 1,790.00 |
| Race gear and nutrition (racing shoes, 6x Gels, recovery drink, etc.) | R 5,000.00 | |
| Visa | $ 185 | R 3,308.00 |
| Sightseeing: Big Red bus tour | $ 65 | R 1,161.00 |
| Souvenir | $20 | R 358.00 |
| TOTAL COST: NEW YORK MARATHON | R 56,718.00 | |
| PARIS MARATHON | ||
| Expenses per person for 4x nights at destination | EUR (EUR1 = ZAR 20.32) | ZAR (approximate) |
| Race entry fee | € 179 | R 3,635.00 |
| Travel (air Fare) | R 15,000.00 | |
| Taxi and/ or public transport (Train Day pass for all zones @ €12 / day – using trains for all commutes) | €48 .00 | R 975.00 |
| Car hire | N/A | |
| 3- star Hotel (walking distance from finish) | R 10,000.00 | |
| Food and drink, i.e. restaurants, coffee, home cooked meals. (Ave €70 per day) | € 280 | R 5,687.00 |
| Race gear and nutrition (racing shoes, 6x Gels, recovery drink, etc.) | R 5,000.00 | |
| Visa | € 90 | R 1,827 .00 |
| Sightseeing: Visit to the Eiffel Tower | € 30 | R 609.00 |
| Souvenir | € 15 | R 305.00 |
| TOTAL COST: PARIS MARATHON | R 43,039.00 | |
| IRONMAN 70.3 DURBAN | |
| Expenses per person for 4x nights at destination | ZAR (approximate) |
| Race entry fee (individual, early entry) | R 3, 950.00 |
| Travel (air Fare) plus extra luggage bag | R 2,850.00 |
| Taxi and/ or public transport incl airport pick-up and drop-off | R 800.00 |
| Car hire | N/A |
| 3- star Hotel or 4 star rated Airbnb (in Durban) | R 4,500.00 |
| Food and drink, ie restaurants, coffee, home cooked meals. (Ave R700 per day) | R 2,800.00 |
| Race gear and nutrition (racing shoes, spare parts, swim equipment,10x Gels, race food, recovery drink, etc.). NOTE: Bike equipment not included. | R 9,000 |
| Visa | N/A |
| Sightseeing: Visit Ushaka Marine world | R 117.00 |
| Souvenir | R 100.00 |
| TOTAL COST: IRONMAN 70.3 DURBAN | R 24,117.00 |
Based on these calculations, the New York marathon is found to be the most expensive race to do as a South African by a significant margin. It is no surprise that staying local is the most cost-effective way to run a marathon, unless running is not enough, and you decide to add two more disciplines. Based on the assumption that you already own a bike and cycling kit good enough to use on race day, your expenses will be significantly more than for any local marathon. The Paris marathon was found to be the cheapest of the three international races, however, signing up for smaller European marathons will without doubt be more cost-effective, especially in areas such as accommodation and daily food and drink expenses.
South Africans have limited choice of countries where visa application processes can be avoided, but if the visa application is a deal breaker, then you might want to consider any of the following international marathons:
Mauritius – Mauritius Marathon
Thailand – Phuket or Bangkok Marathon
Brazil – Rio de Janeiro Marathon
UAE – Dubai Marathon (e-visa only)
Singapore – Singapore Marathon (e-visa only)
Sharing your “runcation” with a friend or your other half can be a great way to reduce individual expenses. The cost of accommodation per person sharing, as well as shared taxi rides can make a significant difference to the size of the dent in your purse. Besides, running memories are best when they are shared!!