For many, 2020 will be remembered for the lockdown, the loss of life, being unable to have contact with your loved ones for months, not being able to travel and businesses closing down.

For athletes however, 2020 will be remembered for the historical cancellation of the Comrades Marathon.

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“For athletes who have been training since 2019 for the 2020 edition of the Comrades, it was a huge disappointment. Initially, there was a glimmer of hope, as at first, the race simply had been postponed due to the lockdown,” said renowned local road running coach, Peter Smit, but added runners still believed that the race would take place and various methods were employed to maintain their fitness levels.
“Hilarious challenges, virtual races, runs, exercises, and all possible methods were developed just to be able to still successfully complete the race,” said Smit.

It, however, soon became clear that the possibility of the race taking place, was becoming increasingly slim and as expected, in the end, it had to be cancelled.

“This was a huge blow to all runners as well as their supporters. Months of training had gone into preparing for the Big One. For the podium runners as well as the mere mortals who simply wanted to complete the race and be able to one day look back and proudly declare that they had done it, it was devastating,” he said.

Disappointment, however, soon turned into an opportunity. “The Comrades Committee decided to offer all entrants the opportunity to do a virtual run and qualify for a certificate. Different distances can be entered for and based on scientific calculations, runner’s times will then be converted into the different categories and medal awarded accordingly,” Smit said. “To the pure Comrades runners, a virtual run seemed totally absurd. One cannot claim to have completed the Comrades unless you have officially entered and completed the full  distance.” However, looking at it objectively, a virtual run is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that, most probably, will never happen again in our lifetimes. “How many people, 10, 20, 30 or 40 years from now, will be able to claim that they have participated in the Virtual Comrades of 2020? The year of Covid-19.”

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This Sunday runners from clubs across the Lowveld will do just that – on the same day the Comrades would have taken place.
To enable all local runners to achieve this goal, Sue-Ellen Gower, of Run and Walk for Life, has taken the initiative and come up with a plan to make it possible for runners to complete the different required distances.
As required, all participants wishing to be eligible for the Comrades certificate and T-shirt will have to run either a five, 10, 21, 45 or or the full 90 kilometres.

While some local clubs are mostly focusing on having their athletes either run measured loops three or six or 10 times to make up for the different distances, other clubs measured a certain distance that their runners will repeat by running out and back on the same route until the required distance has been achieved.

Gower, however, has decided to have the runners run the different distance point-to-point, as in the real Comrades.
All the different races will start on the Sabie/Lydenburg/Mbombela Road (R37) and finish at the Communio Church on the Kaapsehoop Road. As required, no gathering of participants, supporters, onlookers will be allowed and runners will start at their own times and run with their own support.