At 67, Isaac Mabula is still running & still building a township athletics club
43 years after he helped found Katlehong Athletics Club, Mabula has guided more than 500 novices to Comrades.
43 years after he helped found Katlehong Athletics Club, Mabula has guided more than 500 novices to Comrades.
Isaac Mabula has run 33 Comrades Marathons. He has guided more than 150 runners across the finish line themselves, and mentored over 500 novices through the race. He is 67 years old and still lacing up.
Mabula is one of four men who founded Katlehong Athletics Club in August 1982, a breakaway from Germiston Callies built on a simple belief that athletics could be a ladder out of disadvantage. Forty-three years later, the club is still standing, still training children every weekday at Huntersfield Stadium, and still running for everyone who shows up.
A club that runs with purpose
KAC is not a club for elite athletes only. It opens its gates to walkers, joggers, and runners of every level, anyone who wants to move. But its heartbeat is its junior development programme, which trains children aged 10 to 21 every weekday at Huntersfield Stadium in the Katlehong Sports Complex.
The goal is direct: use sport to get young people from Katlehong into university through athletic scholarships. That is not a tagline. It is the work.
The Mabula record
Mabula was born in Heilbron in the Free State in 1957 and moved to Katlehong in 1980. He found his calling on the road. He is one of the founding four who built KAC from scratch alongside Mr Tshabalala, Mr Setshedi, and Mr Sibisi. Since 1990, he has completed 33 Comrades Marathons in KAC colours. His medal haul includes 4 Silvers, 2 Bill Rowans, 22 Bronzes, and 6 Vic Claphams.
"Mabula has guided over 150 runners to Comrades finish lines and mentored more than 500 novices through the race."Those are the numbers that matter most. He is not just a runner. He is a movement.
Shoes on the ground
Seven years ago, KAC launched its annual School Shoes Run, a 31km community challenge held on 31 December each year. The result: over 1,900 pairs of school shoes donated to underprivileged learners across Katlehong. Every pair represents a child who walks into a classroom with dignity.
This is what happens when a running club decides its finish line is bigger than a race tape.
A race that belongs to Katlehong
On 7 December 2025, KAC made history by hosting its inaugural KAC 10km Road Race. Five hundred and forty-nine runners showed up and painted the streets of Katlehong in club colours. The community showed up for itself.
The club is now going bigger. The 2026 race, scheduled for 6 December, adds a 21.1km half marathon to the programme. It is shaping up to be one of the East Rand's most ambitious community running events and KAC is looking for corporate partners to make it happen.
Why this matters
South African sport is full of clubs. KAC is something rarer: a club with roots, values, and a forty-three-year track record of giving back. Its training grounds are a daily gathering point for the next generation of athletes. Its annual shoe drive is a small masterclass in what sport can do beyond the stadium.
Katlehong Athletics Club. Running since 1982. Running for everyone.
WANT TO BACK THE 2026 RACE?
KAC is currently seeking corporate partners for its expanded 2026 race programme, scheduled for 6 December. Sponsorship enquiries are welcome via the contacts below: