More criticism for Comrades Marathon organisers, but is it fair?

Considering the magnitude of the event, and the logistics involved, the Comrades Marathon organisers did well to put on a world-class race once again earlier this month. But every year, no matter what they do, they just can’t seem to keep themselves out of hot water.

Issues raised by social runners in recent years have included the cost of the entry fee and the race’s struggle to find and stop cheats, while elite runners have complained about the prize money.

Making progress

For the 96th edition of the event, the Comrades Marathon Association announced a record prize purse (R4.3 million), which seemed to satisfy the title contenders, and revealed that 25 runners had been banned ahead of the race after submitting false qualifying information, proving they were actively trying to crack down on cheats.

And while the entry fee was raised to R1,200 for South African citizens (it cost even more for foreigners) it didn’t stop more than 16,000 people from taking part.

On race day, the elite runners delivered spectacular performances and the event was lauded as a success.

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When you have that many participants, however, you can’t please everyone and organisers have again received a widespread lashing on social media regarding cut-off times.

According to critics, two cut-offs near the finish were closed too early, which allegedly prevented more runners from finishing the race.

And while all runners who have entered should be given every reasonable chance to reach the finish in time to secure a medal, organisers have claimed that the earlier cut-offs had been put in place due to “medical reasons and pressure from authorities to re-open the roads”.

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In addition, the CMA pointed out that the event boasted a 92.68% finish rate, which was the highest in the history of the race.

It does seem some runners could have missed out on a potential finish due to the early cut-offs, but it remains speculative how many were affected, and Comrades will need to consider next year whether it’s best (or possible, based on their reasoning) to revert to previous cut-off times.

Not all bad

For all the criticism the CMA receives, however, the reality is that they get far more right than they get wrong. And considering the logistical challenges involved in a race which is constantly trying to evolve and remain relevant, hiccups can always be expected.

While criticism is fair when it’s due (and the CMA does make mistakes) it seems some runners make mountains out of molehills, focusing on a few negatives and ignoring all the positives.

The real indication of whether the race was a success will be reflected by the number of runners who enter next year’s Comrades.

If they get another large field, as is expected, that’s the only measurement that really counts.