BLOGGING THE VIEW: 7 interesting Comrades Marathon facts

This year’s Comrades Marathon will be an up run (Durban City Hall to Hollywoodbets Scottsville Racecourse in Pietermaritzburg.) on Sunday, 9 June from 5.30am, with the final cut-off at 5.30pm.

Celebrating the 97th edition, the 2024 Comrades Marathon will welcome thousands of runners from across the globe hoping to complete the Ultimate Human Race.

Get into the spirit of camaraderie this weekend with some useful (or not!) facts about the Comrades Marathon.

1. On a cold (one assumes) morning on 24 May 1921, 34 runners prepared to start one of the most epic athletic events, the Comrades Marathon. The first run started at Pietermaritzburg City Hall and finished in Durban.

2. The event was the realisation of Vic Clapham’s vision to create a ‘living memorial’ of the spirit of his comrades who fought in World War I. In addition to being a war veteran, Vic Clapham was a South African Railways driver.

3. While runners still race between Durban and Pietermaritzburg, the route has changed somewhat. The original competitors ran on dirt roads through several gates and across a stream.

4. The first race was won by Bill Rowan, a 26-year-old Transvaal farmer who completed the route in a time of 8:59 – which would become the slowest winning time in history.

5. From 32 runners in 1921 to some 20 600 in 2024, the Comrades Marathon has exploded in size.

6. South Africa will be well represented, but runners come from across the globe to compete in the Ultimate Human Race. This year we’ll welcome visitors from Botswana, Zambia, Russia, the UK, Zimbabwe, the United States and Canada.

7. The backmarker runners will have an added advantage at this year’s up run as the Comrades Marathon Association has approved the adjustment to the final cut-off at the 79.1km mark at Mkondeni from 11h10 to 11h20.

SOURCES:
www.runnersworld.co.za
www.africamarathons.com
www.supersport.com

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