The SANParks Honorary Rangers, the official volunteer organisation for South African National Parks (SANParks), has been selected as one of the Comrades Marathon Association’s (CMA’s) six official charities for the 2024, 2025 and 2026 Comrades Marathons, as part of their Amabeadibeadi Charity Drive.

The announcement was made by the CMA on 3 October 2023, with the official launch of the 2024 Comrades Marathon taking place at Comrades House in Pietermaritzburg on 7 November 2023.

According to CMA Marketing & Communication Manager, Delaine Cools, “The Comrades Amabeadibeadi Charity Drive has raised more than R71-million for charity since its inception over 27 years ago, all thanks to the generosity of Comrades Marathon runners, supporters, sponsors, and the public at large for their generous contribution to the success of this charity drive.”

On registration, runners are invited to support their charity of choice or to raise funds via the Race4Charity platform.

Runners with a passion for wildlife and nature conservation are invited to add meaning to their Comrades experience by choosing the SANParks Honorary Rangers as their preferred charity.

Entries opened on Tuesday, 21 November 2023 and will close on 11 December, or once the cap of 23,000 entries has been reached. The 2024 Comrades Marathon will take place on 9 June 2024.

“With over 2000 members across the country the SANParks Honorary Rangers are enthusiastically standing by to support all runners who join our cause,” says Jimmy Telle, Chief Executive of the SANParks Honorary Rangers.

“Our members will also be assisting at the Comrades Marathon Expo and at our water point at Camperdown on race day.”

The SANParks Honorary Rangers is the official South African National Parks (SANParks) volunteer organisation. Funds raised are allocated to conservation projects identified by SANParks, ensuring that funds go to where they are needed most. These projects may include, for example, anti-poaching, conservation, ranger well-being or environmental education initiatives, to name but a few.

For more information on how to join the SHR fundraising team, runners can email comrades@sanparksvolunteers.org