The South African athletics season will kick off next month, with Athletics South Africa has announced. 

The first national titles of the season will be on offer on 16 February when the ASA Marathon Championships is held in conjunction with the Peninsula Marathon in Cape Town.

Over shorter distances on the road, the ASA Road Running Championships will include races over 1 Mile (1.6km), 5km and 21km, and this event will be incorporated in the F21 Half-Marathon in Polokwane on 26 July. The final national road running titles of the year will be up for grabs at the ASA 10km Championships in Bloemfontein on 15 November.

In track and field, a packed national championship calendar will open with two events between 27-29 March, with the ASA Age Group, Relay and Multi Event Championships being held in Cape Town and the SASA Primary Schools National Championships taking place in Queenstown.

Other age group events this season include the SASA High Schools National Championships in Bloemfontein from 2-5 April, the USSA Track and Field Championships in Pietermaritzburg 10-12 April, and the ASA Primary Sub Youth National Championships in Potchefstroom between 24-26 April.

The flagship track and field event of the year, the ASA Senior Track and Field, Relay and Multi Events Championships will be held in Potchefstroom between 24-26 April.

Other track and field events on the calendar include four World Athletics Continental Tour Challenger meetings.
The first leg of the ASA Athletics Grand Prix series will be held in Tshwane on 12 March and the second leg will take place in Johannesburg on 19 March. 

There will also be two legs of the Cape Milers/Endurocad Middle DIstance Invitational series, with the first being held on 2 April and the second taking place on 4 April. The venues will be confirmed in due course.

Away from the track and the road, the ASA Cross Country Championships will be hosted in Middelburg on 6 September.
Other national cross country events this season include the USSA Athletics Cross Country Championships in the Eastern Cape between 9-11 October and the ASA Cross Country Trials, also being held in October, with the date and venue still to be confirmed.

"All the hard work for the new season has begun. Everyone's hopes will unfold through this year's calendar," said James Moloi, the President of Athletics South Africa.

"Let the achievements of the last season be an inspiration to everyone that even the top of the world is within reach. From sub-youth to elite, let us work within our limited resources even harder to earn our ountry a celebratory seat in global athletics."

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About Athletics South Africa:
Athletics South Africa (ASA) is the national governing body for the sport of athletics (including Track and Field, Cross Country, Road Running and Race Walking) in South Africa, is a member of World Athletics  and the Confederation of African Athletics.  The association was formed in 1995 and is based in Johannesburg. 

ENDS