TOMORROW, Sunday, August 28, hundreds of runners will hit the road in their quest to conquer the 95th Comrades Marathon, a Down Run from Pietermaritzburg to Durban.
The Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) has confirmed the following road closures and alert notifications which will be effective over Comrades race weekend, starting around midnight on Saturday, August 27.
While the Comrades Marathon is widely supported by spectators gathering on roadsides along the route, CMA race director Rowyn James says massive roadworks on the N3 Highway will prevent spectators from gathering for the first 30km of the race from Pietermaritzburg to Cato Ridge.
“If you are travelling to the start from Durban on the morning of the race, you are advised to leave extra early (by latest 03:00), perhaps an hour earlier than you would normally do, as the sheer volume of traffic will definitely lead to congestion and a substantially longer travelling time. Without any accidents or vehicle breakdowns, you can factor in the journey taking you one hour and thirty minutes,” said James.
Comrades supporters are advised to take note that the usual spectator spots and associated parking areas at Lynnfield Park, Umlaas Road and Camperdown will be out of bounds on race day due to the roadworks. Cato Ridge will be the first available spot where supporters can gather and see the runners.
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The road closure schedule is as follows:
FROM | TO | CLOSE | OPEN |
Start | Chief Albert Luthuli Road | 23H55 | 08H00 |
Chief Albert Luthuli Road | Alan Paton Road | 02H00 | 06H30 |
Alan Paton Road | N3 Freeway | 04H00 | 06H30 |
Market Road | Polly Shortts | 04H00 | 07H45 |
Polly Shortts | Ashburton Road | 05H00 | 08H30 |
Ashburton Road | N3 Lion Park | 05H00 | 08H45 |
N3 Lion Park | Umlaas Road | 05H15 | 09H45 |
Umlaas Road | Camperdown | 05H30 | 10H30 |
Camperdown | Cato Ridge town area | 06H00 | 11H00 |
Cato Ridge town area | 06H15 | 11H20 | |
Cato Ridge town area | Eddie Hagan Road | 06H30 | 11H40 |
Eddie Hagan Road | Thousand Hills Drive | 06H30 | 12H00 |
Thousand Hills Drive | Halfway | 06H45 | 13H00 |
Halfway | Alverstone Road | 07H00 | 13H15 |
Alverstone Road | Kassier Road | 07H30 | 14H00 |
Kassier Road | Inanda Road | 07H45 | 14H30 |
Inanda Road | Winston Park | 08H00 | 15H00 |
Winston Park | Everton Road | 08H00 | 15H15 |
M13 West Bound | 08H00 | 16H00 | |
Kloof Old Main Road | M13 West Bound | 08H00 | 15H45 |
Bottom of Fields Hill | St Johns Avenue | 08H00 | 16H15 |
St Johns Avenue | Otto Volek | 08H00 | 16H30 |
Otto Volek | King Cetshwayo Highway | 08H00 | 17H00 |
King Cetshwayo Highway | 45th Cutting | 08H00 | 17H15 |
45th Cutting | Sherwood on-ramp | 08H00 | 17H30 |
N3 East Bound | 08H00 | 18H00 | |
N3 | David Webster & Braam Fischer Str | 07H00 | 20H00 |
c/o Samora Machel & Masabalala Yengwa (NMR) Ave | Moses Mabhida Stadium | 07H00 | 21H30 |