Thousands of runners, walkers and families turned Johannesburg's streets into a celebration of Nelson Mandela's legacy on Sunday as the sold-out Mandela Day Walk and Run drew more than 10,000 participants to the city's largest annual tribute to the former president.
Before sunrise, Corlett Drive outside DP World Wanderers Stadium was filled with participants preparing for the 5km walk and the 10km and 21km races. By the time the starting horn sounded, elite athletes stood alongside first-time runners, families with young children, pensioners and recreational walkers.
Now in its fourth year, the event has grown from about 1,000 participants at its inaugural edition into one of Johannesburg's biggest community sporting events.
President Cyril Ramaphosa, wearing race number one, officially signalled the start before joining the 5km walk alongside Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, Gauteng MEC for Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation Lebogang Maile and thousands of participants.
Addressing the crowd before the start, Ramaphosa said Mandela would have been proud to see South Africans from every background coming together.
"If Madiba was with us today, he would be smiling," the President said, pointing to the diversity of those gathered to mark what would have been Mandela's birthday.
Once the race began, the focus shifted from the stage to the streets.
The 5km, 10km and 21km routes carried participants through the Wanderers and Houghton precinct, with the longer races extending through surrounding suburbs before returning to the stadium.
Families pushed prams, children proudly wore race bibs and friends walked side by side, while seasoned runners chased personal bests. Along the route, volunteers and marshals kept spirits high, cheering participants through the winter morning.
One marshal's encouragement drew laughter from passing walkers.
"No more injections," he shouted. "Only healthy lifestyle!"
Back at the stadium, finishers collected medals, posed for photographs and relaxed on the grass as friends and family waited at the finish line.
For a few hours, Johannesburg's roads belonged not to the usual Sunday traffic, but to thousands of people brought together by sport, community and the enduring legacy of Nelson Mandela. The event offered a different expression of Mandela Day, one measured in shared kilometres, conversations between strangers and a city walking, and running, together.