Princess Sibanda
Beitbridge border town is buzzing tonight — not with trucks, but with runners. Excitement is building as runners collect kits ahead of the historic cross-border marathon tomorrow.
Hundreds of athletes from South Africa and Zimbabwe are collecting their T-shirts, race numbers and temporary licenses at Beitbridge town council as the countdown to the 2 Countries Marathon begins.
Tomorrow, Saturday 3 October 2026, Beitbridge makes history again with “One Race. Two Nations. One Finish Line.”
This is no ordinary marathon. The main races 42.2km full marathon and 21.1km half marathon will start at Eric Louw High School in Musina, South Africa snake across the Limpopo border, and finish at Dulibadzimu Stadium in Beitbridge, Zimbabwe.
Organisers confirmed passport is a must for the cross-border races. Athletes have been urged to arrive early tomorrow for border processing for the 42.1km and 21.1km.
For those without passports, there are in-country races 10km and 5km starting and finishing at Dulibadzimu. Non-Zimbabwean athletes must have passports even for the 10km.
The mood at the collection point is electric.
“Everyone is happy. You can feel the anticipation,” said one official managing the queue. Runners were checking their names, fitting T-shirts and collecting temporary licenses.
Online registration closed on September 29 and the field looks strong. South African athletes will have transport arranged from Eric Louw and back.
For the athletes, there is an added incentive of R146 00 price money which will be divided among the various category winners. Entry is R280 for 42km, R180 for 21km, R100 for 10km and R50 for 5km.
For the flagship 42km, 1st Open Men & Lady will pocket R11,000 each, 2nd R5,500, down to 5th. There are also prizes for First Veteran, Master and Grandmaster. The 21km winner takes R8,000 and 10km winner R3,500.
The race is backed by Limpopo Province, Musina Local Municipality, Municipality of Beitbridge, and Musina Top Runners under the banner “Run, Connect, Unite Across Borders.”
Tonight, it’s about T-shirts and licenses. Tomorrow, it’s about who crosses that one finish line first.
