ABOUT US
BRIEF HISTORY
Faranani Athletics Club, also known as “The Blue Train”, was officially established in 2003 by a group of runners in the Pretoria central business district. The founding members were Mr Thomas Lalamani, Mr Livhuwani Victor Ramavhale, Mr Donald Rasikhinya, Mr Munyadziwa Magoma, Mr Andries Mudau and Mr Benny Moloko. Mr Lalamani, a member of the Enduro Athletics Club at the time, had the vision of starting an athletics club that would accommodate runners who could not be part of the corporate or government-based athletics clubs because of their strict membership rules. The name “Faranani”, which means togetherness or holding and supporting one another, was suggested by Mr Ramavhale, who saw this new club as a support structure for its members. Throughout the early years of the club’s formation, some of the founding members, namely Mr Rasikhinya (Farwi Civil Construction and Vunda Construction) and Mr Magoma (Vhubvo Archaeologists & Heritage Consultants), provided generous financial support to the club via their respective businesses.
Between 2003 and 2013, the membership of the club remained 10 to 20 runners. In 2016, the club membership broke the 100-milestone, when 112 runners affiliated with the club. In 2018, the club transcended the 200-member barrier, reaching 246 members in 2019, the highest in the club’s history to date. Sadly, due to COVID-19, the club’s membership numbers were negatively impacted. However, since 2023, the membership has remained consistent at 120+ members.
To assist its members in reaching their individual fitness goals, in 2017, Faranani partnered with Fat Cats Athletics Club to organise the FaraCats 60km training run. This annual training run, which takes place in April and alternates between Midrand and Pretoria, has become popular among runners preparing for the annual Comrades Marathon.
In June 2019, the club hosted its first official Athletics Gauteng North-sanctioned race, the Fara Winter Challenge, which also doubled as the 10km AGN Championship race. This race provided the overall winner with prize money of R5,000, which was among the highest for a 10km race in Pretoria at the time. In November 2019, the club again hosted its second official race, the Fara Summer Challenge. Over 2,000 runners participated in both races. Sadly, neither event could be staged in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2021, the club partnered with Sportsvendo to co-organise the iconic Jacaranda City Challenge race. The first co-hosted Jacaranda City Challenge took place in November 2022, on the date the Fara Summer Challenge was due to take place. In 2023 and 2024, the club again co-hosted highly successful editions of the Jacaranda City Challenge, with over 5,000 runners registering for the race in each year. Faranani is proud to be associated with one of the most significant events in the Pretoria running calendar.
In 2024, Faranani AC proudly celebrated its 22nd anniversary. The occasion marked more than two decades of unity, growth and athletic achievement. The celebration highlighted the club’s journey from a small vision for unaffiliated runners to a pillar of Tshwane’s athletics community. The occasion was also used to officially introduce Mr Victor Ramavhale as the Honorary President of Faranani Athletics Club in recognition of his dedication and contribution to the club.
Faranani AC has a reputation for having one of the most brutal training courses in Pretoria. But perhaps most importantly, the club is known as a space where runners at different levels can improve their fitness and overall well-being through road running.
FORMATION AND SUCCESS
As a result Faranani Athletics Club was formed in 2003. The name, Faranani which means holding/supporting one another or togetherness, was the brainchild of Mr Livhuwani Victor Ramavhale, who saw this new club as being a support structure for all manner of runners. The early years before and after the formation of the club were not easy as Mr Munyadziwa Magoma surmises them as being “very difficult”.
Between 2006 and 2012 the club underwent some turbulent transitions with some of the founding members relocating to other cities mainly due to various work commitments. However, Mr Ramavhale remained the anchor of the club throughout those years and is currently serving as the club’s chairperson. Some of the founding members like Mr Donald Rasikhinya (Farwi Civil Construction & Vunda Construction) and Mr Munyadziwa Magoma (Vhubvo Archaeologists & Heritage Consultants) have continued to support the club over the past couple of years through generous financial sponsorship via their respective businesses.
In recent years the club has enjoyed some moderate success by managing to attract more members from just above 20 in 2013, to beyond 50 in 2015 and over 120 active members in 2016. This growth was most evident in the 2016 Comrades Marathon where the club had a representation of 42 members, who all finished the race within the 12 hours’ cut-off time. This was a drastic improvement from 2004 when the club only had 2 runners representing it at the Comrades Marathon. In 2017, Faranani Athletics Club continued to grow in terms of membership and athletes participation at the Comrades Marathon. Out of 73 athletes who participated at the 2017 Comrades Marathon, 69 managed to finish the race within the cut-off time.
When the club was founded in 2003, it had the following ambitions: firstly, to produce competitive runners who could go for gold at the elite marathon races, and secondly, to encourage distance running as a desirable lifestyle among able-bodied people in and around the Pretoria CBD. We can safely report that the current generation is living up to those goals, as Faranani AC was the third ranked club from the Athletics Gauteng North (AGN) region and 35th overall (out of 548 teams) at the 2016 Comrades Marathon.
TRAINING ROUTES
Below is a list that outlines the training routes of Faranani Athletics Club.
6 Km Training Route
10 Km Training Route
15 Km Training Route
