Biogen 21K 2027 is a 5 km race on 10 January 2027, starting at 06:30 at Riley Road, Bedfordview. The course climbs about 54 m in total.
The SmectaGo 5 km Fun Run from Riley Road: up Townsend Road through leafy Bedfordview, down Florence Avenue and back along Concorde Road East to the finish field at Bedfordview Country Club.
Riley Road, outside Bedfordview Country Club, Van Buuren Road. 21.1 km at 06:00, the SmectaGo 5 km Fun Run at 06:30
The bottom field of Bedfordview Country Club, with the tog bag area, club gazebos, the bar and coffee
It climbs about 54 m in total. The highest point is 1668 m above sea level, at km 2.2.
One refreshment station on the route; the race does not say where
km 3.1
One refreshment station; its place is not published, so it is shown at the half marathon's first water point, which this route passes
Thursday 7 January at Dis-Chem Nicolway and Friday 8 January at Dis-Chem Park Meadows, 09:30 to 16:00; Saturday 9 January at Virgin Active Bedfordview, bottom field, 09:00 to 15:30. Bring a copy of your ID. On race morning, 04:30 to 06:30: numbers and temporary licences (R70, card only), nothing else
21.1 km: the start closes at 06:15 and the finish at 09:30. 5 km: the start closes at 06:45
Online only, limited to 6,000 on the 21.1 km and 1,000 on the 5 km. 21.1 km R270, R240 for juniors under 20 and grandmasters over 60, R135 for great grandmasters over 70; 5 km R125. No entries or substitutions on race day
The race's own GPX files; runners' GPS tracks from race day 2026 follow them street by street
Minimum age 16 for the 21.1 km and 5 for the 5 km. No earphones on the 21.1 km (WA rule 144.2b), no pets, bicycles or seconding. A medal for every finisher; the first 6,000 21.1 km entries get the race shirt, collected with your number. Timed by Peak Timing: the chip is in your number
Lambano Sanctuary (medical and palliative care for children) and the Namaqua Dog & Donkey Foundation (sterilising animals on the East Rand). The Dis-Chem Foundation matches every extra donation
Biogen, presented by Momentum Multiply, with SmectaGo on the 5 km and Dis-Chem. Co-sponsors: Transact, Norflex Gel, Gillette, Old Spice, Essentiale Extreme and Heneways. Hosted by Bedfordview Athletics at Bedfordview Country Club, approved by Central Gauteng Athletics
06:30 · km 0
The SmectaGo 5 km Fun Run starts at 06:30 on Riley Road, outside Bedfordview Country Club, half an hour after the 21.1 km. It is open to anyone 5 or older on race day, with 1,000 entries and a medal for every finisher, but no race shirt. The start closes at 06:45, and the marshals cannot wait for late runners.
km 0.6 to 2.1 · Townsend Road to Bowling Road
Right onto Townsend Road and up through Acacia, Oak and Bowling Roads: about 35 m of climbing in the first 2 km. Bedfordview grew from the farm Elandsfontein. In 1893 the Randlord Sir George Farrar bought a farm here and named it Bedford, after the English town. A naming competition was won by Daisy Dollery, who liked the view from Bedford Farm, and "Bedford View" became the suburb's official name on 24 February 1926.
km 2.1 to 3.7 · Florence Avenue
Florence Avenue runs downhill for 1.5 km, about 40 m from the top of Bowling Road to Concorde Road East. The 5 km has one refreshment station; the race does not say where, so the one shown is the half marathon's first water point, outside 26 Florence Road, which this route passes.
km 3.7 to 4.7 · Concorde Road East
The lowest point of the course is at km 3.7, where Concorde Road East turns back north-east and climbs about 10 m to Riley Road. It is one of a pocket of Bedfordview streets with aircraft names, with Boeing, Viscount and Comet nearby. The race also runs for two charities, Lambano Sanctuary and the Namaqua Dog & Donkey Foundation, and the Dis-Chem Foundation matches extra donations.
km 4.8 to 5 · Bedfordview Country Club
The finish is on the bottom field of Bedfordview Country Club, with the tog bag area, the club gazebos, the bar and coffee, and every finisher gets a medal. The 5 km measures about 5.05 km on the race's own route.
Route: the race's own GPX files on biogen21.co.za (the half marathon drawn on Strava as "Biogen 21.1km 2025 V2"), which runners' GPS tracks from race day 2026 follow street by street, scaled to 21.1 km; street names from OpenStreetMap. Water points: the six on the race site, placed by their addresses. Date, times, cut-off, rules, entries, sponsors and charities: biogen21.co.za. History: Modern Athlete, the Bedfordview and Edenvale News and Wikipedia. Results: Modern Athlete and Daily Maverick