The year 2021 would have been the centenary of the world- famous Comrades Marathon. However, due to the current Covid-19 pandemic, the race could not take place as usual along the Durban to Pietermaritzburg route.
This did not deter a group of local runners from taking part in the 2021 Virtual Comrades Marathon on Sunday, 13 June, though. They completed a 52 km route to simulate the Comrades experience – even starting at 05:30, in the early hours of the morning.
The route started on the R54 next to the Fochville and Parys turnoff with 21 runners taking part in a group. Fourteen runners participated in a 10 km pre-race with eight runners going for the longer run.
The runners ran towards Parys before taking it all the way to Buffelshoek Police Station. One of the runners and organiser, Amos Vumendlini, thanked the sponsors who helped make the journey successful.
“We started in Gauteng and then went to North West, which was quite a tough run. It was like the real Comrades,” he stated.
