Age groups in South Africa

The following minimum age restrictions apply to road races in South Africa:

5 km: 9 years and older
10 km: 14 years and older
15 km: 15 years and older
Half Marathon: 16 years and older
32 km: 19 years and older
Marathon: 20 years and older
Ultra marathon: 20 years and older

Organisers should not accept entries from under-age athletes. If they do manage to enter and run then prize money will not be awarded to under age athletes.

In Road Running the OPEN category is open to all athletes of the same gender irrespective of age. The prize money for the winner of the race is usually an OPEN category so anyone can win it.

In Track and Field (T&F) and Cross Country the SENIOR age group is open to all athletes who are 16 and older in the year of competition. In Road Races the Senior category is a closed category for athletes aged 20 to 39.

In T&F and Cross Country, Youth athletes are 16 to 17 years of age in the year of competition. JUNIOR athletes are defined as being 18 to 19 years of age in the year of competition. As Road Races do not have the Youth category, in Road Races Juniors are defined as being under the age of 20 in the year of competition.

The “Year of Competition” is worth explaining further. For instance to be a JUNIOR you have to be 19 for the WHOLE YEAR. If you turn 20 on say 28th December 2009, then you are a SENIOR for the whole year from 01 January.

For 2009, Juniors will have been born in 1990 or later. (If born in 1989 they turn 20 in 2009 so are Seniors).

From age 40 upwards, athletes are known as MASTER athletes. Road races usually give prizes in 10 year age groups. The old terminology of Veterans (40-49), Masters (50-59), Grandmasters (60-69), Great Grandmasters (70+) is still commonly used but has officially been dropped because IAAF has a different definition for Veterans. (IAAF classifies Women 35-49 as Veterans). Master age categories are based on your age AT the DATE of the RACE.

(source Baleka Baleka, Edited by Chris Goldschmidt) (updated 25 March 2015 by Quintus van Rensburg)