Comrades marathon also eventually falls victim to COVID-19 crisis
Thousands of South African long-distance runners received bad news last week when it has been announced that the Comrades Marathon organizers finally had to succumb to the COVID-19 crisis.
While the organizers of the world-famous Comrades ultra-marathon have until recently been desperately clinging to the hope that there will still be the opportunity to host the race this year, they finally had to give up last week.
The Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) officially announced that this year’s race, which would have been the 95th Comrades, was cancelled.
Cheryl Winn chairperson of the CMA said they had hoped to postpone the race to a date not later than end of September (owing to climatic conditions), but alas with the Covid-19 pandemic showing no signs of abating and anticipated to peak in the coming months, there is no telling what is yet to come.
This means that the 2021 Comrades will now be the 95th edition of The Ultimate Human Race, starting from the Pietermaritzburg City Hall at 05:30 and finishing 12 hours later at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban. It will be the 47th Down Run which will also celebrate the Centenary of the Comrades Marathon Association which was founded on 24th May 1921.
The CMA also confirmed that athletes who have already entered the race will not be refunded their entry fee but will instead receive their Comrades2020 runners T-shirt and goodie bag, as well as a Comrades badge and flash. The details of the distribution process will be made available in due course in terms of the national lockdown restrictions. For logistical reasons this will apply to South African entries only.
With regard to Back-to-Back medals, those runners who completed their first Comrades Marathon on the 2019 up run to Pietermaritzburg will qualify for the Back-to-Back medal upon completion of the 2021 Comrades Marathon down run.
Exactly 80 years ago, Comrades Marathon organisers faced a similar dilemma in deciding whether to stage the 20th Comrades Marathon some eight months into the conflagration of World War II. At the last moment it was decided to go ahead with just 23 starters, following the withdrawal of many runners who had been mobilised for the war effort.
The following year the race was cancelled and remained so for the duration of the war (1941 – 1945).
For more information, visit the CMA website at www.comrades.com .
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