The Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mark Leathers, as the new Chairperson, and Nontuthuko Mashimane, as the new Vice Chairperson of the CMA Board.
Their appointments follow the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the CMA, held on Saturday at Carter High School in Pietermaritzburg, which included the election of four Board members to complete the Board that will serve for the next 12 months. Leathers brings a genuine passion for the Comrades Marathon to his new role, having run the race twice, earning two Robert Mtshali medals in 2024 and 2025, with finishing times of 9:25:18 and 9:17:18 respectively. In his first year on the Board in 2024/2025, he served as Vice-chairperson while also serving as chairperson of the Legal and Corporate Governance Sub-committee, availing his legal expertise counsel and expertise to the CMA.
Says Mc Naught and Co Director Mark Leathers: “It’s an absolute honour to be elected as the incoming Chairperson of the Comrades Marathon Association, and a privilege to be involved in The Ultimate Human Race,”. “Together with the Board for the new year, I undertake to work tirelessly to advance not only the race itself, but also the history and ethos of the event, and we will do so in conjunction with our partners, the team at Comrades House, and all stakeholders, including the running community. Similarly, Mashimane also brings a vast amount of expertise and passion for the event to her new role, having run the event seven times from 2015 to 2024, with a best time of 9:23:01, and having served on the Board in 2024/2025 while also chairing the CSI and Charities Sub-Committee. Under her leadership, this sub-committee raised a record-breaking amount of over R8 million for the CMA’s official charities, notably through Race4Charity donations by participants and through the Toyota-sponsored Win-a-Car Competition.
Mashimane says, “I’m deeply humbled and honoured to have been elected as the Vice Chairperson of the Comrades Marathon Association. This appointment is not just a personal milestone, but a reaffirmation of the trust, support and confidence that my colleagues and the broader Comrades family has placed in me. I step into the role of Vice Chairperson fully committed to strengthening our organisation, deepening our community impact, and helping lead the Comrades Marathon into a future defined by growth, excellence and inclusivity, especially as we approach our historic centenary.”
Leathers and Mashimane will lead the Board in its ongoing mission to promote and enhance the Comrades Marathon, ensuring its continued success and growth. This 2025/2026 Board’s immediate focus will be the 2026 edition of the race, taking place on Sunday 14 June, but also on the planning for the 2027 edition, which will mark the 100th running of the world’s oldest and most famous ultramarathon.
Outgoing Chairperson, Mqondisi Ngcobo, will remain on the Board to complete his current two-year term, but having already served two full terms as Chair of the Board – the maximum allowed by the CMA Constitution – he was not eligible to continue in that position. He says, “It was a singular honour and privilege for me to be afforded the opportunity to once again lead this 104-year-old Association. I would like to thank the Comrades Marathon Association, its members and elders, for bestowing upon me the great honour of leading this glorious Association, and I thank my family for allowing me to pursue my passion and to serve this greatest ultramarathon. I wish my successor all the best as he takes over the leadership of this gigantic event, and I pledge my unwavering support to the incoming Chairperson, Vice-chairperson and the entire Board.”