A Race Like No Other
The most epic running spectacle in the Southern Hemisphere? Undoubtedly.
On Sunday the 10th of June, approximately 20,000 runners stood outside the Pietermaritzburg City Hall, awaiting the gunfire that would set them off on a route spanning 90.184km.
Of those 20,000-odd, 16,477 crossed over in the regulation 12 hours. Some came achingly close, only to be denied by seconds.
The Comrades Marathon is the world’s largest and oldest ultra-marathon. Yet for the epic spectacle that it is, I can’t help but feel it seems poorly represented in the global running community. In South Africa, it’s a red-letter day, with citizens from all walks of life huddling around their screens to witness the throngs of runners make their way between the two cities of Durban and Pietermaritzburg.
In other parts of the world, it doesn’t attract much fanfare, with very little talk of the race outside of SA borders and fringe running communities.
Much like other marquee international races, it requires prospective runners to run a qualifying race. This separates the wheat from the chaff; a sub-5-hour marathon is required to make the cut for seeding and that in itself requires a great deal of commitment.
But Comrades isn’t just about the elites. What makes it so special is that it’s a race for the everyman and woman.
The sheer thought of running 56 miles is enough to make most shy away from it completely, yet every year, regular runners like you and I decide to take up the challenge. One of the most coveted achievements is the ‘back-to-back’ — a double which consists of medals from the ‘up’ run (that is, Durban to Pietermaritzburg) and the ‘down’ run, in reverse.
As Adam Chase writes for Runners World; “The intangibles are what separate Comrades from other races and help to put it on the list of must-do running events for the well-traveled runner. Comrades packs a wallop in its celebration of endurance, multicultural-ism, and triumph in the face of adversity.”
The Comrades Marathon is charged with emotion. It embodies the spirit of running. I’m not here to advocate that everyone should run Comrades. But everyone around the world does deserve to know about the Ultimate Human Race and the human triumphs that come with it.
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For a comprehensive read on the Comrades Marathon, I suggest reading Hannah Storm’s article on her 2017 race experience.
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