The Comrades Marathon has long been known as the unofficial world championships of ultrarunning and this year, a world class international and local field will be lining up outside the Durban City Hall, among more than 20 000 other runners for the 97th Comrades Marathon and 49th Up Run.
The Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) hosted its Elite Athletes Media Briefing in Durban on Friday
Among this year’s top contenders will be:
INTERNATIONALS:
WOMEN
ALEXANDRA MOROZOVA – RUSSIA
Morozova boasts five Comrades Marathon gold medal finishes from five starts and will be very strong on the Up Run. A former winner having won the race in 2022, Morozova has been on the podium in the top three in all but one of her Comrades finishes. Last year she was 6th but still ran her fastest ever time of 6:14:32. Coached by former winner Oleg Kharitonov, Morozova will be in the hunt come race day.
DOMINIKA STELMACH – NEDBANK RUNNING CLUB INTERNATIONAL (POLAND)
With a very strong ultradistance running pedigree and three Comrades Marathon gold medals to her name, Stelmach knows how to run the race having achieved a best of second place in 2022 as well as golds on both the Up and Down Runs.
CAITRIONA JENNINGS – NEDBANK RUNNING CLUB INTERNATIONAL (IRELAND)
An Irish native that represented her country in the 2012 Olympic Games Marathon, Jennings finished on the podium in third at her first Comrades Marathon in 2019 on the Up Run. She returned last year to Comrades to make it two golds from two starts running a very fast 6:10:26 for fifth.
ANDREA POMARANSKI – NEDBANK RUNNING CLUB INTERNATIONAL (UNITED STATES)
A 41-year-old who hails from the United States of America, Pomaranski boasts a very fast 2:31 marathon from Houston in 2023 and in 2024 has already run under 2:34 for the marathon twice. After a second place finish in last year’s World Championships over 50km, Pomaranski has set her sights on the Comrades Marathon.
MEN
PIET WIERSMA – NEDBANK RUNNING CLUB INTERNATIONAL (NETHERLANDS)
Known as the unknown dutchman at the 2023 Comrades Marathon, Wiersma won the hearts of many South Africans last year where he finished secpnd, a scant three seconds behind winner Tete Dijana and smashing the previous course record in a time of 5:14:01. A student who is based in Italy and does all his training in the mountains, Wiersma is coming back hungry to win the Comrades and has specifically focused on added hill training for this year’s Up Run.
ANDREW DAVIES – UNITED KINGDOM
Davies is a seasoned and fast marathon runner who boasts a marathon personal best of 2:14:23 from the 2022 Seville Marathon. The 44-year-old Brit will be making his Comrades debut in 2024 and with his speed, could well provide an upset at the front of the race.
ALEKSEI BERESNEV – RUSSIA
Russian athletes have a rich history with the Comrades Marathon with many running to gold medal finishes and even wins. After a hiatus from the Comrades Marathon, more Russian athletes are starting to make their way back to South Africa and Beresnev is one of them who will be looking to emulate his countrymen. Running 5:24:40 last year to finish 8th after leading for some part of the race, it is said Beresnev much prefers the hills, and the 2024 Comrades Marathon could be the stepping stone of his career.
ALEX MILNE – NEDBANK RUNNING CLUB INTERNATIONAL – UNITED KINGDOM
Milne ran a very fast 5:31:34 in his debut Comrades last year after an extremely fast last 15km to the finish. In any other year his time would have been good enough for a top five finish but was only good enough for 15th last year. With a 2:16:30 marathon personal best from the 2023 London Marathon, Milne has the strength and the speed to mix it up with the men upfront and returns to Comrades hungry for a top 10 finish.
JOHAN LANTZ – SWEDEN
Lantz is an ultradistance trail runner who hails from Sweden and makes his way to Comrades to run his debut. A very strong runner, Lantz boasts an impressive 5:14:41 from the Tunnel Hill 50 miler (80km) and based off that, and with the race being an Up Run, has the pedigree to challenge for a top 10 finish.
SOUTH AFRICAN AND REST OF AFRICA ATHLETES:
WOMEN
GERDA STEYN – PHANTANE ATHLETICS CLUB – SOUTH AFRICA
What can be said about Steyn, a two-time Comrades Marathon winner and course best time holder in both the Up and Down Runs, rewriting the record books in winning fashion. On the last Up Run in 2019, Steyn became the first woman to run the Up Run in under six hours, taking over 10 minutes off the course best time and finishing an amazing 17th overall in the field. She comes back this year a much stronger and faster athlete and more recently broke her own South African record in the marathon with a world class 2:24:03.
ADELE BROODRYK – NEDBANK RUNNING CLUB – SOUTH AFRICA
Broodryk is one of the country’s best ultradistance runners and has back to back Comrades Marathon gold medals from her two starts, finishing third in 2022 and second last year, also breaking the magical six-hour barrier with her 5:56:25. Can she improve one better and take the top spot this year?
GALALETSANG MEKGOE – NEDBANK RUNNING CLUB – SOUTH AFRICA
One of only two women who are in the same training group as men’s back to back winner Tete Dijana, Mekgoe ran a dream debut back in 2022 finishing fifth and came back even faster in 2023 but finished in the worst position of 11th, just outside the gold medals but in a time of 6:31:18 which would have given her a gold medal in every Comrades to date.
JENET MBHELE – XCEL ATHLETICS CLUB – SOUTH AFRICA
A South African Marathon champion, Mbhele surprised many by showing up at Comrades last year having never run further than a standard marathon. The Xcel running club athlete finished seventh in the golds in a very fast 6:27:13 and will look to add another gold medal on the Up Run.
CARLA MOLINARO – HOLLYWOOD ATHLETIC CLUB – SOUTH AFRICA
Molinaro has 6 Comrades Marathon medals to her name of which two are gold medals. On her last Up Run in 2019, Molinaro ran a time of 7:51:12 to finish 45th among the ladies. A lot has changed since then, especially in 2023. Pushing the pace hard at the start of the 2023 Comrades, Molinaro ran the race of her life to finish third, and agonisingly just missing out on a sub 6-hour finish with her time of 6:00:22. She then went on to be crowned World Champion over 50km and returns to this year’s Up Run a much different athlete.
DEANNE LAUBSCHER – NEDBANK RUNNING CLUB – SOUTH AFRICA
Laubscher is a strong athlete who represented South Africa in both the World 50km and 100km Championships. She will be looking towards her first Comrades gold medal this year after running a very fast 6:36:55 in last year’s race.
MEN
TETE DIJANA – NEDBANK RUNNING CLUB – SOUTH AFRICA
If you don’t know the name Tete Dijana, you have not watched the Comrades Marathon the last two years! Dijana has become a household name in South Africa with victories in the 2022 and 2023 Comrades Marathons, the latter in a new Down Run course best time of 5:13:58. Coached by Dave Adams and part of the very strong Nedbank running club, Dijana’s first Comrades came from his only Up Run in 2019 where he finished 50th. Don’t let that result fool you into thinking he can’t run hills. Dijana is a completely different athlete now and holds a 2:11 marathon, split during the Nedbank Runified Breaking Barriers 50km where he set a then world record over 50km.
EDWARD MOTHIBI – NEDBANK RUNNING CLUB – SOUTH AFRICA
Training partner of Dijana, Mothibi finished third in last year’s Comrades Marathon but returns this year as the defending Up Run champion given his win in 2019 when the last Up Run was run. A very strong athlete who has podiumed in the last three Comrades Marathons, Mothibi will be looking to prove that his Up Run win was no fluke and that he can do it again.
BONGMUSA MTHEMBU – ARTHUR FORD RUNNING CLUB – SOUTH AFRICA
Mthembu hails from KwaZulu-Natal and is a Comrades Marathon legend having won the race three times and obtaining victories in both the Up and Down Runs. The last time the race went up in 2019, Mthembu narrowly lost out on a fourth victory, finishing 25 seconds behind Mothibi. He returns as a monster on the hills and will once again be eyeing out the top of the podium.
NKOSIKHONA MHLAKWANA - HOLLYWOOD ATHLETIC CLUB – SOUTH AFRICA
Nicknamed the pit bull, Mhlakwana is another athlete who hails from the KwaZulu-Natal province and has proven his worth in the Comrades Marathon with a gold in 2022 and 11th and 12th places in 2019 and 2023. On the last Up Run, Mhlakwana fell to the ground with the finish line in sight and went from 9th to 11th. With a second and third place in the Two Oceans, he has the speed and strength to make an impact.
TEBOHO SELLO – MAXED ELITE RUNNING CLUB – LESOTHO
Sello has been a name synonymous with South African distance running, stepping onto the podium of all major races around the country except one, the Comrades Marathon which is his favourite event. A former winner of the tough Soweto Marathon, Sello has fout Comrades gold medals with a best of fifth and ran his Comrades personal best last year where he finished 7th in 5:24:22.
JOSEPH MANYEDI – NEDBANK RUNNING CLUB – SOUTH AFRICA
Manyedi is a former television front runner. He is an ultradistance running specialist as attributed to his three Comrades gold medals from the last three races. A training partner to double winner Dijana, Manyedi was fifth on the last Up Run.
DAN MATSHAILWE – NEDBANK RUNNING CLUB – SOUTH AFRICA
A third-place finish on his debut Comrades in 2022, Matshailwe chose to focus on the Two Oceans Marathon in 2023 and came so close to winning it with his second place finish after suffering with leg problems for most of the race and then closing the leader towards the end. This year is all about Comrades for Matshailwe who is also part of the Dijana Nedbank training group.