2020 Comrades Marathon canned
Following long discussion with the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) Board and KwaZulu-Natal Athletics (KZNA), Athletics South Africa has announced the cancellation of the 2020 Comrades Marathon.
MANY athletes were disappointed when they got news of the cancellation of the country’s ultimate human race, the Comrades Marathon.
Following long discussion with the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) Board and KwaZulu-Natal Athletics (KZNA), Athletics South Africa has announced the cancellation of the 2020 Comrades Marathon.
Making the announcement, ASA president, Aleck Skhosana said: “Cancelling what would have been the 95th edition of the Comrades Marathon was a long and arduous decision to make.”
CMA chairperson, Cheryl Winn, also explained that, “It is with profound sadness and regret that the CMA Board, in conjunction with ASA and KZNA, had to make this decision. We do so with the knowledge that it will come as a great disappointment to thousands of Comrades runners, who together with us at CMA, have been holding out hope that the race would somehow proceed.
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“We had hoped to postpone the race to a date not later than end of September, but 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. As CMA, it is incumbent upon us to prioritise the health, safety and well-being of our athletes, volunteers and stakeholders and therefore we will not be staging this year’s edition of the country’s leading road running event.”
Jay Reddy, KZN Athletics administrator, added, “In this difficult time which has seen to the historic cancellation of one of KZNAs flagship events, let us not succumb to despair, disappointment, and accept that we are victims of this pandemic. Let us rather celebrate that as athletes and other role players, we are sacrificing one of our major races in the knowledge that we are serving the interests of humanity.”
Next year’s Comrades will now be the 95th edition of The Ultimate Human Race, starting from the Pietermaritzburg City Hall at 5.30am 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 24 May 1921.
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“We thank each of our runners, supporters, volunteers and our incredible sponsors for their patience, fortitude and steadfast support over the past months. CMA can now turn our focus towards the staging of our Centenary Celebrations next year in the comfort of knowing we can rely on the passionate loyalty and participation of so many. With reference to the inspirational theme of the cancelled edition Iphupho Lami (Dare to Dream), hope is a dream deferred,” concluded Winn.
For more information on the management of the 2020 entries, visit https://www.comrades.com
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