Who, where and when: All you need to know about the Comrades Marathon

After a two-year break due to Covid, the Comrades Marathon returns on Sunday, 28 August with the country’s most popular road race being held for the 95th time.

With millions of people expected to keep an eye on proceedings throughout the day, we take a look at some info that will help keep spectators informed.

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Whether you’re planning to watch the race on TV at home, listen for updates on the radio or stand at the roadside in KZN, here are five things to know ahead of the event.

Where and when?

Being held in August for the first time, after a shift in date this year, the 95th edition of the race will be a ‘down’ run, keeping to the tradition of alternating the direction each year.

The race will start outside Pietermaritzburg City Hall at 5.30am and runners will have 12 hours to complete the 89.885km distance before the final cut-off gun is fired at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban at 5.30pm.

Who is running?

Lots of people. The race received nearly 16,000 entries (including 1,500 from foreign countries) and while a chunk of those individuals won’t turn up at the start (for various reasons) there’s going to be a massive field of amateur participants.

Up front, the men’s race is expected to be dominated by a strong South African contingent led by three-time winner Bongmusa Mthembu and 2019 ‘up’ run winner Edward Mothibi.

With ‘up’ run record holder Gerda Steyn missing from the women’s race, local favourite Ann Ashworth will need to hold off a foreign contingent which is led by controversial Russian athlete Alexandra Morozova.

What’s the prize?

There is a big purse on offer for the elite field, with R260 000 on the line for the men’s and women’s winners, as well as R260 000 bonuses for course records.

A variety of medals will also be available to all finishers, based on their position and/or time.

Comrades medals

Top 10 – Gold medals

Men under 6:00:00 – Wally Hayward medals (silver and gold)

Women under 7:30:00 – Isavel Roche-Kelly medals (silver and gold)

Men under 7:30:00 – Silver medals

Under 9:00:00 – Bill Rowan medals (bronze and silver)

Under 10:00:00 – Robert Mtshali medals (titanium)

Under 11:00:00 – Bronze medals

Under 12:00:00 – Vic Clapham medals (copper)

Points of interest

It’s a long road to negotiate, but runners will focus on certain landmarks along the route, which are also useful to spectators who want to follow the race.

Though it is a ‘down’ run, which eliminates the challenge of the infamous Polly Shortts climb near the start, there are four other hills which will keep runners working while hammering their legs, including Inchanga (around the 40km mark), Botha’s (49km), Fields (63km) and Cowies (71km).

There are no flat parts to the Comrades route, no matter which direction you are running. On 28 Aug, be prepared to run the Big 5 Hills of the Comrades Marathon. The highest point of the race, at 815m, is situated near the Umlaas Road. #TheReturn #Sishayibuya#Comrades2022 pic.twitter.com/yTcW8OVeSx

— ComradesRace (@ComradesRace) August 15, 2022

For spectators on the day, it’s best to avoid the chaos at the start, but the halfway mark at Drummond is always festive, as is the road through Hillcrest and the final stretch into Durban.

The race will also be broadcast and streamed live by SuperSport.

Giving back

Runners will start in seeded batches, based on their qualifying times, but hundreds of participants who are raising money for charity will start in their own group.

A total of 500 entrants, who raised at least R6 000 each, will start in the charity batch after supporting one of the event’s six official causes – the Childhood Cancer Foundation, Community Chest, the Hillcrest Aids Centre Trust, Hospice, Rise Against Hunger and Wildtrust – as part of the Amabeadibeadi campaign.