Comrades organisers reveal cut-off times, shorter route
CMA Race Director confirms that the official race distance of this year’s Comrades Marathon Down Run will be nearly 2,2km shorter than last year’s 89.885km Down Run.
The official route distance of this year’s 96th Comrades Marathon from Pietermaritzburg to Durban will be 87,701km.
Upon completion of the official route course measurement conducted by the Comrades Marathon Association’s (CMA) Route Portfolio, Department of Transports Road Traffic Inspectorate, and Msunduzi Traffic, CMA Race Director, Rowyn James has confirmed that the official race distance of this year’s Comrades Marathon down run will be nearly 2,2km shorter than last year’s 89.885km down run.
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It is worth noting that the last time the race finished at the HollywoodBets Kingsmead Cricket Stadium in 2016, the race distance was 89,208km; the same year in which David Gatebe set the current best Down Run time of 5:18:19.
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Furthermore, when Frith van der Merwe set the still-standing women’s best down run time of 5:54:43 in 1989, also at the Kingsmead Cricket Stadium, the distance was 89,6km. The difference in distances over the years is mainly due to the roadworks and varying routes taken on the run out of Pietermaritzburg.
James has also confirmed the cut-offs for this year’s race. There are 5 cut-off points along the route:
• Cut off – Cato Ridge (N3 Subway); running time – 04:30:00 and time of day – 10:00
• Drummond (Halfway); 06:10:00 and 11:40
• Winston Park (Caltex Garage); 08:10:00 and 13:40
• Pinetown (St Johns Avenue Subway); 09:20:00 and 14:50
• Sherwood; 11:00:00 and 16:30
James has advised runners to make their way to the start of the race early saying, “Due to the ongoing N3 roadworks, we ask that all of our athletes make their way to the Pietermaritzburg City Hall early to avoid the traffic congestion and potentially miss the start of the race.”
The 96th Comrades Marathon will be run on Sunday, 11 June 2023, starting at the Pietermaritzburg City Hall at 05:30 and ending 12 hours later at the stadium. This will be the 48th Comrades Down Run.
