High-flying new Comrades Marathon chairperson Mark Leathers lays out his vision

Newly appointed Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) chairperson and professional lawyer Mark Leathers is out to propel the image of the entity to new heights after helping it to navigate out of turbulent times over the past year.

An aviation enthusiast and avid marathoner, Leathers was voted into the seat on 29 November 2025, at the CMA’s annual meeting. His deputy will be fellow recreational runner, entrepreneur and philanthropist Nontuthuko Mashimane.

Joining them on the board are veteran marathon runner Willie Mtolo, Comrades Marathon veteran Barry Holland, Brenda Marolen, Carel Nolte, Rory Steyn, Alan Gray, Leathers’s predecessor Mqondisi Ngcobo and co-opted financial expert Lené Swart.

“The importance of Comrades as an event and the history of the association cannot be underestimated. So, it’s definitely not something I take lightly. But I’m also surrounded by a wonderful team of very experienced people on the board, people who are actively involved in the association. Through that teamwork, there’s only one trajectory and that’s upwards,” Leathers told Daily Maverick.

Tough times behind

The CMA was besieged by controversy in early 2024, with allegations of racism and maladministration rocking the custodian of the historic annual race. This negative publicity led to mass board resignations towards the end of 2024.

When the dust settled, a new board was installed in December 2024. It was headed by Ngcobo, with Leathers as vice-chairperson. They were charged with cleaning up the mess of the previous board’s infighting and tidying up the public image of the CMA.

Leathers says the year that he served as deputy to Ngcobo (who remains on the board) taught him “a lot” and he is looking to implement those lessons practically over the next 12 months.

Leathers is part of the running community and has completed two Comrades races over the past two years. The Durban-based lawyer completed both in under 10 hours.

He even legally represented CMA members for free when they were clashing with KwaZulu-Natal Athletics and the previous CMA hierarchy in 2024 over proposed exclusionary constitutional amendments, which would have sidelined a number of paying Comrades members based on the fact that they do not reside in KZN.

“When you look into the Comrades Marathon Association from the outside, you’ve got a rough idea of what things are like and what it takes to actually put it all together. But having been on the inside as vice-chair for the last year has changed from me having a vague perception of what things are, to actually having first-hand knowledge of what things are,” Leathers explained.

“So, it’s definitely given me the base from which to springboard and be even more successful than if I was now coming in completely from the outside,” he added.

Runners first

While in recent years some of the themes that were associated with the CMA were those typical of a number of South African bodies, such as factionalism and personal enrichment, Leathers says that under his leadership the association will focus on the runners.

Despite its recent problems the Comrades remains one of South Africa’s marquee sports events. Even casual followers of sport pay attention when the annual race comes around.

The 2026 race, which will be run between Durban and Pietermaritzburg, will be significant because it will serve as a test run for the centenary edition in 2027.

For next year’s event entry slots sold out in under 10 hours, a record for the event. About 22,000 runners are expected at the start line on Sunday, 14 June 2026. Leathers told Daily Maverick that under his guidance the CMA will prioritise runners.

“The runner is our client. A lot of people talk about people that watch, talk about the sponsors. Yes, those are vital stakeholders. But the runner is our client. Without a good runner experience, people won’t enter,” Leathers said. “If people don’t enter, we don’t have spectators. If we don’t have spectators, we don’t have sponsors.

“What I’ve learnt is that the runner experience as a whole is one of the most important things – from the entry experience through to the actual safety at the event. So, those are the glasses through which we need to approach every decision we make: how can we improve this for our client, which is the runner?” the 41-year-old said.

Renewal and rejuvenation

But what practical steps has the CMA taken to ensure this moves from being a pipe dream to a reality, particularly for the milestone race of 2027? According to Leathers: “There’s been a big focus on putting qualified and experienced people into certain roles that need filling. It’s not just a case of altruism and people wanting to make a difference. It’s also finding the right people to make a difference in certain areas.

“In addition to that, a lot of internal policies and procedures have been revisited and completely redone where necessary through the past year. From procurement, through to staffing policies and much more.

“Some of the other changes that have been made were actually brought in by our now race director, Sue Forge. She’s coming in with a very scientific approach to certain things. For example, how to deal with crowds and congestion at certain points in the event. So, a renewed way of looking at things is probably the one sentence to sum up what has changed.”

Until recently the CMA board also featured two ex officio members. They represented Athletics South Africa (ASA) and KZN Athletics (KZNA).

An amendment to the CMA constitution was proposed at the AGM where Leathers was voted in as boss. It was for the CMA to withdraw as a special member of KZNA and rather seek to affiliate directly to ASA. This motion was passed, effectively removing KZN Athletics from the board.

Cognisant of the demands that come with being at the helm of such a prestigious organisation, Leathers says he will sometimes tap into his aviation expertise to help him. He obtained his flying licence more than a decade ago.

“A lot of attorneys play golf. I fly,” he said. “When you’re in the air, things happen very quickly. And you don’t have the luxury of lengthy contemplation. You need to learn to make an informed decision quickly.

“Whilst that’s not always the right way to do things in business or in running an entity like the CMA, it is definitely a handy tool to have.” DM