The 96th Comrades Marathon was a pure spectacle that delivered on both the men's and women's races.
Tet Dijana not only retained the title he won in 2022 but he did it in record time as well, while Gerda Steyn claimed a Two Oceans- Comrades double and also smashed the women's down run record in the process.
Both races were entertaining from the beginning but once they were done, attention turned to the everyday men and women who are brave enough to take on the ultimate human race with the pair of everyday joes helping each other across the line to become the final two runners who earned a medal before the 12-hour cut-off time.
Check out all the info using the race tracker and catch all the best bits of action with the video highlights below.
Until next year... Goodnight
RACE TRACKER
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Video Highlights
THE ROAD AHEAD
Runners from 84 nations around the world will descend on Pietermaritzburg to participate in the 96th edition of the world-famous Comrades Marathon, a ‘Down Run’. Besides South Africa, the UK, Zimbabwe, and India are the most represented nations with over 200 runners from each country.
The Pietermaritzburg City Hall will host the start of the race which will conclude 12 hours later at Durban’s Kingsmead Stadium.
START PROFILE
ROUTE
FINISH PROFILE
END OF THE LINE
The official race distance of this year’s Comrades Marathon Down Run is 87.701km which means that Comrades runners will effectively run 2.2km shorter than they did in the 2022 Down Run, which measured 89.885km.
Unfortunately, though, not everyone will reach the Kingsmead Stadium as many runners will fail to reach each of the six cut-off points in time to continue their pursuit of the finish line.
| CUT - OFF | RUNNING TIME | TIME OF DAY |
|---|---|---|
| Cato Ridge | 04:30:00 | (10h00) |
| Drummond | 06:10:00 | (11h40) |
| Winston Park | 08:10:00 | (13h40) |
| Pinetown | 09:20:00 | (14h50) |
| Sherwood | 11:00:00 | (16h30) |
THE CONTENDERS
Last year's winners Tete Dijana and Alexandra Morozova will be out to defend their titles in 2023 but face stiff competition from strong fields.
Gerda Steyn will be the biggest threat to Morozova with the South African chasing a race Comrades-Two Oceans double after claiming the Cape Town title earlier this year. Former champ Ann Ashworth along with the 2022 podium finishers Dominika Stelmach and Adele Broodryk will too have their eyes set on the prize which should make for an intriguing women's race which will have a dedicated broadcast channel.
On the men's side, Dijana will once again have to fend off the challenge of Dan Matshailwe and Edward Mothibi, who finished on the podium in 2022. Elsewhere three-time champion Bongmusa Mthembu will be out to regain his moniker as 'The Greatest Ultramarathoner' by claiming his fourth title at the Kingsmead Stadium.
There is more than just the titles on the line with medals and prizemoney up for grabs.
| MEDALS | |
|---|---|
| Gold | First 10 Men and Women |
| Wally Hayward (Men) Isavel-Roche Kelly (Women) |
Position 11 to sub 6hrs 00min Position 11 to sub 7hrs 30min |
| Silver (Men Only) | 6hrs 00min to sub 7hrs 30min |
| Bill Rowan | 7hrs 30min to sub 9hrs 00min |
| Robert Mtshali | 9hrs 00min to sub 10hrs 00min |
| Bronze | 10hrs 00min to sub 11hrs 00min |
| Vic Clapham | 11hrs 00min to sub 12hrs 00min |
| PRIZE MONEY | ||
|---|---|---|
| POSITION | MEN | WOMEN |
| Position 1 | R 500 000,00 | R 500 000,00 |
| Position 2 | R 250 000,00 | R 250 000,00 |
| Position 3 | R 180 000,00 | R 180 000,00 |
| Position 4 | R 90 000,00 | R 90 000,00 |
| Position 5 | R 70 000,00 | R 70 000,00 |
| Position 6 | R 40 000,00 | R 40 000,00 |
| Position 7 | R 35 000,00 | R 35 000,00 |
| Position 8 | R 30 000,00 | R 30 000,00 |
| Position 9 | R 25 000,00 | R 25 000,00 |
| Position 10 | R 20 000,00 | R 20 000,00 |
BRUCE FORDYCE INSIGHTS...
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- You’ve got to be pretty dumb to try and cheat
- High altitude essential for Comrades success
- Why Caster Semenya wouldn’t cut it at Comrades