Comrades Marathon: A glance at this weekend’s race in numbers

The Comrades Marathon requires a team of staff, medical experts, traffic marshals and thousands of volunteers to put the race together, and it must be one of the biggest logistical challenges in South African sport.

Attracting the largest field of any ultra-marathon in the world, it remains a flagship event on SA’s road running calendar.

We take a closer look at the race in numbers ahead of the ‘up’ run between Durban and Pietermaritzburg on Sunday.

All in the numbers

5 – Notorious hills which runners must climb to reach the finish – Cowie’s, Fields, Botha’s, Inchanga and Polly Shortts – along with others that are unnamed

6 – Cut-off points on the course, which runners must reach in time to achieve a medal, including the finish where the final gun will be fired after 12 hours

8 – Seeding batches at the start (A-H) which will separate runners in fenced-off areas based on qualifying times they submitted

9 – Different medals available to runners who finish the race, depending on their results, with the top 10 men and women receiving gold

20 – The minimum age of runners who are allowed to take part in the ultra-distance event, which is one of the longest road races in the country

34 – Number of finishes by 60-year-old Kleintjie van Schalkwyk, who is in the entry list and in line to extend her women’s record for the most medals

48 – Refreshment stations along the route which will be stocked with (among other things) soda, water, energy drinks, fruit and biscuits

50 – Record number of finishes which Barry Holland will achieve if the 72-year-old Dolphin Coast Striders runner completes this year’s race

85.91 – The race distance, in kilometres, which is 920 metres shorter than the route which was used for the last ‘up’ run

97 – Editions of the race that have been held since it was first run in 1921 to commemorate soldiers who died during World War I

600 – Boxes of bananas provided at refreshment stations on the course, along with 4.5 tons of oranges and two tons of potatoes

2019 – The last time the ‘up’ run was held, with the race having been cancelled in 2020 and 2021, and ‘down’ runs being held in 2022 and 2023

5,000 – Volunteers who will be assisting at refreshment stations on the route, representing various sponsors and organisations

23,000 – Entry limit for the race, though runners must have achieved certain times in qualifying races in order to line up at the start

50,000 –  Hot spot prize, in rands, for the first athletes to reach the 56km timing mat (limited to men who finish under 6:00:00 and women under 7:00:00)

550,000 – Cash bonus on offer to the winners if they break the ‘up’ run records held by Leonid Shvetsov (5:24:49) and Gerda Steyn (5:58:53)

2.2 million – Water sachets provided at refreshment stations throughout the course, along with 600,000 sachets of energy drinks

4.09 million – Total prize money, in rands, which is a record purse for a South African road race, with R825,000 going to each of the winners