This is it – Comrades Marathon entries are now open

NEXT year’s Comrades Marathon slogan is ‘This is it – Ziyasha’. This was announced as the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) hosted its launch at Comrades House on Tuesday, November 21.

Chairperson of the CMA Mqondisi Ngcobo unveiled the slogan, which translates to ‘This is it – it’s happening’, as runners and supporters anticipate the 2023 running of The Ultimate Human Race.

The launch was attended by members of the media, road-running dignitaries, CMA sponsors, stakeholders, the reigning champ, Tete Dijana, former winners and other elite athletes.

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The 96th Comrades Marathon will be a Down Run on Sunday, June 11, 2023, starting at the inland city of Pietermaritzburg at 05:30 and ending 12 hours later in the coastal city of Durban.

Due to the ongoing roadworks, the distance will be approximately 90km. This will be the 48th Comrades down run, which is finally on par with the same number of up runs.

Ngcobo said, “The slogan goes in hand with the hype and excitement that is building around next year’s race, which is largely a result of the immense success of this year’s Comrades Marathon.

“The return of The Ultimate Human Race signalled a sense of jubilation and freedom for runners, both in South Africa and around the world. As organisers of this larger-than-life event, we count on the support of runners and share in the joy of being able to run again.”

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The entry period opened on Tuesday and will close at 16:30 on December 9 or once the entry cap of 20 000 has been reached, whichever comes first.

The 2020 international entrants who did not participate in the 2022 event will not be required to pay an entry fee. This will be the last year in which deferred entries can be utilised.

Deferred foreign entries may not be substituted for the 2023 Comrades Marathon. The entry fee is waived for holders of 25 or more Comrades medals.

CMA race director Rowyn James said, “Our runners have spoken, and we have listened, and in that line, are pleased to be returning to our June race date. As usual, our race organising committee plans to pull out all the stops in ensuring a hugely exciting race day for our athletes.

“Qualifying for the 2023 Comrades Marathon is applicable as of 25 September 2022 until 2 May 2023. The qualifying criteria for this year’s Comrades Marathon remain unchanged, requiring completion of a standard 42.2km marathon in under 4 hours and 50 minutes, or a 56km ultra-marathon in under 6 hours and 45 minutes.”

He said the substitution process will run over the month of March and April 2023, adding that more details will be revealed closer to the time.

James also confirmed that prize money for the 2023 Comrades Marathon has been increased by 15% across the board, meaning that the winner in both the men’s and women’s races will win R300 000 with a total prize purse of over R2m, which includes a cash payment of R300 000 should the winners break the best time previously recorded for the Down Run in their respective races.

Since its inception, the Comrades Amabeadibeadi charity drive has raised more than R66m for the CMA’s official charities. Their selected charities for 2023 are Childhood Cancer Foundation SA (CHOC), Community Chests of Pietermaritzburg and Durban, Hillcrest Aids Centre Trust, Rise Against Hunger and WildTrust.

Online entries can be done via the Comrades Marathon website: www.comrades.com.

Entry fees remain the same as that of the 2022 Comrades and are as follows:

South Africa 2023 entrants – R1 200
Rest of Africa 2023 entrants – R2 000
International 2023 entrants – R4 500

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