VIDEO: Countdown begins to 96th Comrades Marathon
The Comrades expo is an integral part of Comrades race week and serves as one of the official registration points.
![IMG_7163](https://images.caxton.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2023/06/img_7163.jpg)
THE Durban Exhibition Centre played host to the 3-day Comrades Marathon expo as runners, supporters and visitors gear up for the 96th running of the iconic ultra-marathon.
The event is an integral part of Comrades race week and serves as one of the official registration points for The Ultimate Human Race, with thousands of athletes collecting their race packs and goodie bags, shopping for running apparel and merchandise, and finalising registration ahead of race day.
The Comrades Marathon attracts competitors from all across South Africa and around the world and Caxton Local Media spoke to some athletes ahead of the race which gets underway on Sunday, 11 June.
This year’s run will be a Down Run starting at the Pietermaritzburg City Hall at 05:30 and ending 12 hours later at the Hollywoodbets Kingsmead Cricket Stadium in Durban.
With close to 20 000 runners taking part in this year’s marathon, the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) also revealed that 2354 international runners from 84 countries are running this year’s race.
The lion’s share of athletes are from India with 403 athletes, Zimbabwe with 255, United Kingdom with 224, USA with 173 and Brazil with 142 runners.
For the first time ever, viewers will have two channels to watch the Comrades Marathon on June 11 on SuperSport.
The main SuperSport feed, taking in the entire race day will be broadcast on SS Variety 4. Another feed, focusing on the women’s race, will be carried on SS Variety 2 to ensure that the narrative around the women’s race can be told with greater clarity.
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