JUST hours after opening entries to aspirant runners for next year’s Comrades Marathon, the entry cap of 22 000 entries has been reached.

Entries for the iconic race from Durban to Pietermaritzburg (the race alternates direction each year) officially opened last week to Green Number Club runners.

On Monday, November 3, entries officially opened for all other aspirant runners, however within hours the entry cap was reached.

Also read: Comrades Marathon 2026 officially launched

Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) general manager Alain Dalais said he was blown away by the support.

“It’s a historic milestone in the history of the Comrades Marathon. It has never happened where entries were sold in under 10 hours. To put that in perspective, we sold out for this year’s run in just under two weeks. It definitely shows us the strength of the marathon as a race and as a brand. At the same time there has been explosion in the popularity of road running since the pandemic.

“With next year being the 99th running of the Comrades Marathon, I think there is even more excitement for the 100th running. Novice runners doing the 2026 edition want to get their back to back medal in the 100th running and win a special medal for the centenary of the race. It has also shown us the demand for the 2027 Comrades Marathon is going to be high,” he said.

For those who missed out on securing an entry, Dalais urged them to follow the official Comrades Marathon platforms when the substitution process opens next year.

Also read: Comrades Marathon Association announce new race director

The 2026 Comrades Marathon will be the 50th Up Run from Durban to Pietermaritzburg.

The race will start in front of the Durban City Hall and finish at the Hollywoodbets Scottsville Racecourse, with a race distance of approximately 87km.

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