Nhlangano- More than 8,000 runners have already signed up for this year’s 8th edition of the Imbube Marathon. According to the Eswatini National Provident Fund Chief Executive Officer Futhi Tembe, as of Thursday, 17 September 2026, 8,136 people from Eswatini and other countries had registered for this year’s marathon, which will be held at Somhlolo National Stadium on October 17.
This, the CEO said the number gives them just over 1,800 registrations to find if they are to reach their target. Tembe described the response as encouraging and said the organisers remained optimistic about reaching 10,000.
The race has four categories: the 42.2-kilometre marathon, the 21.1-kilometre half marathon, the 10-kilometre race and the 3.3-kilometre fun run. Notably, the significance of this year’s event extends beyond the number of people expected on the starting line. The marathon has increasingly drawn runners from outside Eswatini, giving what was once primarily a domestic sporting event a wider regional reach.
“Imbube is for the nation, just as Lidlelantfongeni is for emaSwati,” Tembe noted. The race has also become a route into some of the region’s best-known long-distance events, with participants able to use their performances to qualify for competitions including the Comrades Marathon and the Two Oceans Marathon.
For local runners, that creates an opportunity to compete on home roads while measuring themselves against athletes from elsewhere. For the organisers, the growing field has helped turn Imbube into an event that sits at the intersection of sport, health and tourism.
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