Cancelling historic Comrades Marathon was a ‘long, arduous decision to make’
Organisers say considering the race's history and immense economic impact, it would have been premature to rush into an outright cancellation sooner
The hands of the organisers of the world’s most famous race, the Comrades Marathon, have been forced with the news that the 2020 Comrades Marathon has been cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
On May 14, Athletics South Africa (ASA) president Aleck Skhosana confirmed the news following a reached agreement with the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) and KwaZulu-Natal Athletics (KZNA).
Cancelling what would have been the 95th edition of the Comrades Marathon was a long and arduous decision to make, explained Skhosana.
“With the race’s rich history, its powerful nation-building attributes and contribution towards social cohesion, as well as its immense economic impact, it would have been premature to rush into an outright cancellation sooner. However, we believe we have jointly arrived at the correct decision to protect the health and safety of all concerned as well as the lives of our fellow South Africans.”
CMA chairperson Cheryl Winn added: “It is with profound sadness and regret that the CMA board, in conjunction with ASA and KZNA, had to make this decision. We do so with the knowledge that it will come as a great disappointment to thousands of Comrades runners, who together with us at CMA, have been holding out hope that the race would somehow proceed.
“We had hoped to postpone the ultimate human race to a date not later than end of September (owing to climatic conditions), but alas with the pandemic showing no signs of abating and anticipated to peak in the coming months, there is no telling what is yet to come. As CMA, it is incumbent upon us to prioritise the health, safety and well-being of our athletes, volunteers and stakeholders and therefore lamentably we will not be staging this year’s edition of the country’s leading road running event.”
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The CMA will deal with the entries received for this year’s Comrades Marathon as follows:
With regard to South African entrants (based on the assumption that all entrants would have eventually qualified to participate in the race), every South African entrant (including the 485 who entered during the recent substitution period) will not be refunded their entry fee, but will instead receive their Comrades 2020 Mr Price Sport runners T-shirt and goodie bag, as well as a Comrades badge and flash.
The details of the distribution process will be made available in due course in terms of the lockdown restrictions. For logistical reasons, this will apply to South African entries only.
With regard to foreign entrants, in lieu of the cancellation, all foreign entries will be deferred to Comrades 2021 and/or Comrades 2022, depending upon the athletes’ wishes.
In addition, foreign athletes will also have the option of availing their 2020 entry for substitution in 2021 only. With regard to Back-to-Back Medals, those runners who completed their first Comrades Marathon on the 2019 Up Run to Pietermaritzburg will qualify for the Back-to-Back Medal upon completion of the 2021 Comrades Marathon Down Run.
This means that the Comrades 2021 will now be the 95th edition of the race, starting from the Pietermaritzburg City Hall at 5.30 am and finishing 12 hours later at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.
It will be the 47th down run, which will also celebrate the centenary of the CMA, which was founded on May 24 1921.
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