10 fun facts about the Comrades Marathon

It’s the final countdown to the Comrades Marathon, the 98th edition running this Sunday from Pietermaritzburg to Durban.

In commemoration of the world’s largest and oldest ultra-marathon, dubbed the Ultimate Human Race, let’s look at some fun facts.

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· The race alternates between Durban and Pietermaritzburg, with the ‘up’ run starting in Durban and the ‘down’ run starting in Pietermaritzburg. This year is a down run

· The 2025 Comrades Marathon is 89.98km and celebrates its 98th edition

· The first Comrades Marathon was run on 24 May 1921. It was cancelled between 1941 and 1945 due to World War II (5 races missed) and 2020-2021 due to Covid-19 (2 races missed)

· The spirit of the Comrades Marathon is to ‘celebrate mankind’s spirit over adversity’

· The race was the idea of World War I veteran Vic Chapman, who had endured a gruelling march of 2 700 km through the then German East Africa

· Frances Hayward was the first woman to run the Comrades in 1923, finishing in a time of 11 hours and 35 minutes. She ran unofficially because her entry was refused and she did not receive a medal

· The fastest recorded times were captured in 2023 with 5:13:58 for men (Tete Dijana) and 5:44:54 for women (Gerda Steyn)

· Runners with 25 Comrades finishes to their name, run for free

· The time limit for the Comrades Marathon is 12 hours, and more than 50% of runners finish the race in the last hour

· The first 10 men and women to cross the finish line are awarded gold medals

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