Comrades fever: Only in SA are runners measured by the toughest race of all

Anywhere else in the world, if a road runner tells someone they have run a marathon, they are taken seriously. It’s considered a significant achievement.

In South Africa, however, marathons mean nothing. If you tell someone you’re a road runner, the first question they ask is: ‘Have you run Comrades?’. If the answer is ‘no’, then you’re dismissed.

It’s not really fair because running a marathon does indeed make you a legit athlete. It takes a tremendous amount of effort to complete a 42.2km race.

In most countries, social runners wouldn’t even consider attempting a race of around 86km on a brutal course with monstrous hills. In SA, you have to do it, or your efforts just don’t count.

Rise of Comrades

The Comrades Marathon has been around for more than a century, but it was during our nation’s sporting isolation that it became a flagship event on the calendar.

With no South Africans competing at major international races, sports fans had to focus their attention on domestic competitions.

And with the advent of television coverage, the Comrades Marathon really took off in the 1980s, becoming one of the country’s most popular events.

People would wake up early and crowd around their TV sets, covered with blankets and sipping coffee, to watch the entire race. The event became so popular, even people who had no interest in running were drawn into the obsession.

Still going strong

Now, more than three decades after readmission to international sport, the race is as popular as ever, with tens of thousands of runners participating every year.

It is such a massive event that most marathons and ultras on the local calendar are considered qualifying races for the ‘big one’.

And with so many people finishing the race every year, it might seem to lend credence to the idea that anyone can run Comrades.

But completing the gruelling race within the 12-hour time limit is an incredible feat for anyone who isn’t an elite athlete, and not everyone can do it. It takes months of commitment and sacrifice to even attempt.

Good luck to everyone running the race on Sunday. Whether you reach the finish or not, just getting to the start is an achievement in itself.