Waterfall AC

Running with purpose: The Blue Wave story

There was a simple question at the heart of Waterfall City Athletics Club when it was founded in late 2017: Are traditional running clubs really serving all runners equally?

It was a question posed by co-founder and former chair Kenneth Lethole to a group of runners from the Waterfall Virgin Active running group. The answer was the beginning of something that has grown into one of Central Gauteng’s most vibrant running communities.

Waterfall City AC, better known as the Blue Wave, was registered with Central Gauteng Athletics in 2018. Its philosophy was clear from the start: create a club where everyone, from the back-of-the-pack runner to the elite athlete, is recognised, supported and given an opportunity to improve.

And there is a very good reason why you see so much blue at South Africa's major road races.

“We are going to paint the town blue” became the unofficial promise as the club’s members began turning out in numbers at races such as Comrades and Two Oceans. The turquoise and navy-blue kit made the statement even more obvious. The Blue Wave was born.

Its rallying cry, Rea Kitima!, simply means “We Run”. But within WCAC, it has come to represent something more: a commitment to getting better.

“We are known for hard training in the Midrand hills,” says Mpho Makhado, WCAC member and Waterfall City Half Marathon Race Director. “Anyone who is associated with or becomes part of this community, it’s an indication that they want to improve their running.”

MAKING RUNNING A LIFESTYLE

Being based in Waterfall City gives WCAC a very different environment from many of Gauteng’s more traditional running clubs.

Waterfall is a modern, rapidly developing urban precinct where running fits naturally into a broader lifestyle built around fitness, health, work and social interaction. Makhado believes this has helped change the perception of running.

“Running and fitness is not only for certain types of people anymore but is a lifestyle for everyone,” he says. “You combine your running and fitness with networking for opportunities, be it business or careers, and connecting with friends.”

That combination of running, community and lifestyle has become an important part of WCAC’s appeal.

The club’s training programme caters for everyone from beginners to elite athletes, with coaches and the training office developing programmes around different distances, races and ability levels.

There are also group runs across a wide geographical footprint, including HQ, Bryanston, Fourways, Centurion, Greenstone, Pretoria, Benoni, Springs and Virgin Active Carlswald. The result is a club that doesn't require every runner to fit the same mould.

MAKING THE ROADS SAFER FOR WOMEN

Perhaps one of WCAC’s most important contributions extends beyond running itself.

The club has adopted a Zero Tolerance for GBV policy and established a formal Gender-Based Violence Committee. Its role is to deal with complaints sensitively and confidentially, promote awareness and prevention, and help create a running environment where members feel safe.

But WCAC has also taken a practical approach to one of the biggest barriers facing female runners: safety on the road.

The club’s In Her Honour Run initiative encourages male runners to deliberately sacrifice some of their usual pace during training to accompany female runners, particularly during early-morning sessions when it is still dark. What began as an initiative has become part of the club culture.

“Our male runners embraced this and now they do this in all our training runs,” says Makhado.

There is perhaps no better indication of its impact than the club'’s membership demographics. Female runners have now overtaken male runners in numbers. That is more than a statistic. It suggests that women feel sufficiently comfortable and supported to participate in greater numbers.

FROM FIRST JOG TO FINISH LINE

WCAC’s mission has always extended beyond catering for established runners. One of its objectives is to introduce non-runners to athletics and provide programmes that help them overcome the physical and mental barriers associated with starting to run.

For someone who begins with a few kilometres, the leap to a half marathon can seem enormous. Structured training, group support and mentorship make that leap considerably more manageable.

The same philosophy applies at the other end of the spectrum, where WCAC invests heavily in athlete development. The club's Development and Elite Team serves as an incubation hub for young men and women from disadvantaged communities who have demonstrated running potential.

Those athletes have represented WCAC in road running, cross-country and track and field at provincial and national level. Some have progressed to the highest levels of the sport, including representation at the World Cross Country Championships.

The impact is perhaps best illustrated by three young athletes currently studying and continuing their athletics careers in the United States after receiving Monroe College scholarships.

For youngsters who came from extremely disadvantaged backgrounds, the opportunity represents far more than a running career. It demonstrates what a running club can do when it sees development as part of its responsibility to the broader community.

THE WATERFALL CITY HALF MARATHON

WCAC's flagship event, the Waterfall City Half Marathon, has become another expression of the club's personality. Starting and finishing around Mall of Africa and Waterfall Park, the event offers 21.1km, 10km and 5km distances and takes runners through the clean, modern and scenic Waterfall City precinct.

Putting on a multi-distance road race through a busy urban environment is no small task. Road closures, intersections, timing, water points and runner safety all have to work together. WCAC says its partnerships with Attacq Limited, Mall of Africa, Waterfall City Management Company and the City of Johannesburg have been crucial in making it possible.

The result is an event that has become increasingly prominent on the Central Gauteng Athletics calendar, while retaining the energetic, welcoming character that defines the club. This year’s event takes place on 12 September 2026, with the promise of plenty of entertainment and activities away from the running itself.

For the faster runners, there is also plenty of incentive to race hard, with significant prize money on offer.

A CLUB THAT TRAVELS TOGETHER

The Blue Wave identity becomes particularly visible at major races away from home. At events such as Comrades and Two Oceans, WCAC’s emphasis is not simply on producing fast times. The club places equal value on supporting its runners and supporters.

Its guiding principles encourage runners to respect the people supporting them and supporters to understand the physical and emotional demands placed on runners during long-distance races. That creates a culture where the achievement of one runner is celebrated by the wider group.

And perhaps that is the real strength of the Blue Wave. It is not simply a collection of people wearing the same kit. It is a community built around a shared purpose.

THE NEXT BIG STEP

WCAC is not standing still. The demand for its events and the growing profile of the club have prompted the organisers to take on an even bigger challenge: a full marathon in Midrand. From 2027, the club plans to add a marathon in October to its event portfolio. It is an ambitious step, but one that fits the trajectory of the organisation. 

Waterfall City AC began with a question about whether running clubs were doing enough for all runners. Almost a decade later, the answer is visible every weekend on roads and trails across Gauteng and at races around the country.

The Blue Wave has grown because it offers something relatively simple but increasingly important: a place where people can run, improve, compete, make friends, build careers, support one another and feel part of something.

And if the blue shirts continue appearing in such numbers, there is little doubt that the Blue Wave will keep painting the country's roads blue. Rea Kitima!