Marathon launched in honour of Johannes Mosehla
The Polokwane Athletics Club [PAC] in Limpopo has officially launched the Johannes Mosehla Challenge, a Marathon in honour of the Comrades Marathon record holder from Ga-Mogashoa village, Sekhukhune.
The event was held at the Meropa Casino and Entertainment World on Tuesday evening. It was attended by fellow runners, family members and members of the media.
Mosehla, who turns 84 in January 2026, broke his own record of being the oldest Comrades Marathon finisher after completing the 89.98km from Pietermaritzburg to Durban at 11:47:27 in June 2025.
ALSO READ: Johannes Mosehla breaks own record at Comrades Marathon
In 2023, Mosehla broke the record held by Wally Hayward, who finished the Comrades Marathon at 80 in 1989. In 2024, he completed the race at the age of 82. It was his 12th Comrades Marathon since his first attempt at age 63.
The first edition of the Johannes Mosehla Challenge will take place on Saturday, 24 January 2026, at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane. It will include the 5km, 15km, and 32km races with a R30,000 prize Money.
“I am excited and feel very important because the marathon that they call my name is a big thing for me,” Mosehla told Limpopo Chronicle.
“This is not only for me but for my family, Limpopo and South Africa as a whole. I am grateful for the respect and honour from the Polokwane Athletics Club. I also heard that people can’t wait to register, so I am confident that we will have lots of runners on the day,” he said.
ALSO READ: Caster Semenya wins discrimination case
Meanwhile, PAC chairperson Thabang Mokgohloa says the primary reason for renaming a marathon after Mosehla is to preserve his legacy.
“The main thing is to start preserving the legacy of this old man with his rich history in the running fraternity,” Mokgohloa told Limpopo Chronicle.
“The old man has been a member of the club for a very long time. There has been a call from various organisations to say when the Comrades Association is honouring him.
“But as a club, we acknowledge that the Comrades Association have their own way of doing things. But this old man belongs to a club, which is ours,” he added.
