BLOGGING THE VIEW: Comrades fast facts to get you warmed up for the Ultimate Human Race

It’s that time of year again when all the avid athletes stretch and steady their nerves before running some 90km while the rest of us wonder at the sheer madness of these endurance runners from the comfort of our couches.

The countdown to the Comrades Marathon is almost over, with only two more sleeps between us and the Ultimate Human Race.

In the run-up to yet another down run, here are some interesting facts about the 96th edition of South Africa’s oldest road running race.

Bruce Fordyce holds the men’s record for the most wins at nine. Russia’s Elena Nurgalieva holds the women’s, with eight wins.

1. Don’t know if it’s up or down!

While the Comrades Marathon usually alternates between an up run (Durban to Pietermaritzburg) and a down run (Pietermaritzburg to Durban), the last two years have been down runs.

In 1987 and 1988, there were consecutive up runs for the Pietermaritzburg 150th celebrations, while 2009 and 2010 saw two consecutive down runs to coincide with the Fifa World Cup.

If roadworks fall behind schedule, we might have another down run in 2024.

2. Going for the gold

The Comrades Marathon is not just about the win, it’s the ultimate test of endurance, so just completing the race is accomplishment enough.

For those who do make it within the 12-hour mark, there is some hardware to take home as proof of all that hard work.

Here are the eight medal options competitors will be running for:

· Gold medals: For the top 10 men and women

· Wally Hayward: For the men from 11th position to under 6 hours

· Isavel-Roche Kelly: For women between 11th position and under 7.5 hours

· Silver: For men between 6 and 7.5 hours

· Bill Rowan: For 7.5 to 9 hours

· Robert Mtshali: For 9 to under 10 hours

· Bronze: For 10 to under 11 hours

· Vic Clapham: For 11 to under 12 hours

3. Record holders

While hundreds of thousands have run the Comrades Marathon over the years, certain names will stand out in history.

Winner of the 1930 race, Wally Hayward is one such runner, going on to win another four times in the 1950s and became the oldest man to complete the race in 1989.

Bruce Fordyce will always stand out, currently the record holder for winning the most Comrades Marathons, at 9 times!

This was in 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988 and 1990.

In 2009, Stephen Muzhingi became the first non-South African winner from Africa, and went on to win the marathon for the next two years – the first runner to win three in a row since Bruce Fordyce.

There were also the Russian identical twin sisters Olesya and Elena Nurgalieva who won a combined 10 Comrades titles between 2003 and 2013.

4. Comrades runners increase

The race has grown exponentially since its early days. The first race in 1921 saw 34 take to the start line, while only 16 completed it.

In the 1960s, the race grew quite a bit, from 104 at the start of the decade to 703 starters in 1969.

In the 1990s, between 12 000 and 14 000 runners started the race.

By the 75th anniversary race held in 2000, the Comrades Marathon clocked its largest number ever, attracting 23 961 runners.

5. What’s in a number?

Nowadays, you have to be 20 years old on the day of the Comrades Marathon to be eligible to compete, but the youngest person ever to win it was Phil Masterson Smith in 1932 at the age of 19.

The oldest person to have won the Comrades Marathon was Vladamir Kotov in 2004 at the age of 46.

Across the board, the average age of women competing is 40 and the average for men is 42.

SOURCES:
https://www.citizen.co.za/sport/five-things-know-2023-comrades-marathon/
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-06-01-shorter-2023-comrades-marathon-and-an-increase-in-prize-money-should-make-for-fast-race/

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