Comrades Marathon
Pietermaritzburg / Durban, South Africa · June · 86 km Up
- Distance
- 85.8 km (53.3 mi)
- Point to point
- Overall cutoff
- 12 hours
- 13:30 per mi (8:23 per km) average
- Finish rate
- 90%
- of starters in 2026
Why runners love it
- 49 official refreshment stations over 85.777 km (53.3 mi) on closed roads.
- Seconds may hand over supplies from a standstill anywhere along the route.
- Six timed cut-offs with a traffic-light warning system; rescue buses for runners cut off.
- Crowds line the route and the finish inside Scottsville Racecourse.
- Direction alternates: 2027 is a Down Run of about 90 km (56 mi).
Watch out for
- 12-hour limit; the last 2026 cut-off sat 6.7 km (4.2 mi) from the finish with 35 min in hand.
- Entry needs a marathon in 4:59:59 or faster, and the 2026 field filled in under ten hours.
- Pacing by friends, or driving, cycling or running alongside a runner, is not allowed.
- Elevation gain, high point and weather are not on the official pages; the gain figures are unofficial.
- 2027 cut-off times are not yet published, so 2026 Up Run times will not apply to the Down Run.
Race
How runners feel about it, how well it is run, and the community around it. Counts for 25% of the overall score.
Toughness for its distance: Very tough
- Runner satisfactionBucket list4.6
Widely called the ultimate human race; even runners who missed cut-offs praise the atmosphere. About 90% finished in 2026. · Medium confidence
- OrganizationFlawless4.5
A three-group start, traffic-light cut-offs, 49 stations, rescue buses and eight medical stations, and relaxed cut-offs in 2024. · Medium confidence
- Community and vibeLegendary4.8
Crowds line the whole route, reported bigger than ever in 2024, with an emotional finish at Scottsville. · Medium confidence
Support
Aid stations, crew access, drop bags and pacer rules. Counts for 25% of the overall score.
- Aid stationsSuperb4.8
49 stations over 85.777 km (53.3 mi), about one every 1.75 km (1.1 mi). · High confidence
- Crew accessGood4.4
Stand-and-hand support anywhere along the closed route, but no vehicles and no running alongside. · Medium confidence
- Drop bagsOne or two1.6
Drop bags are not mentioned in the 2026 instructions; seconds hand over supplies from a standstill instead. · Low confidence
- PacersNot allowed1.3
Friends may not pace you; only accredited pacesetter groups run goal times. · High confidence
Course
Course marking, scenery, and how runners rate the trail itself. Counts for 15% of the overall score.
- Course markingImpossible to miss4.8
Closed roads with barriers, cones and delineators, plus huge crowds and marshals. · Medium confidence
- SceneryBeautiful3.6
KwaZulu-Natal hills and towns; few runners write about the scenery. · Low confidence
- Trail experienceGreat4.3
A crowd-lined road with five famous hills; Field's Hill and Polly Shortts are the sore points. · Medium confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- FootingSmooth4.9
Public road throughout. · High confidence
- RunnabilityMixed3.3
Road, but five major hills force many runners to walk. · Medium confidence
- ClimbingRolling hills3.3
About 20 m (65.6 ft) per km (105 ft per mile) if iRunFar's 1,750 m (5,700 ft) holds; official gain not published. · Low confidence
Conditions
Race-day temperature and how predictable the weather is. Counts for 14% of the overall score.
- Race-day temperaturePleasant4.0
June is South African winter with a dark 05:00 start; official pages give no weather data. · Low confidence
- Weather reliabilityReliable4.2
No cancellations or weather disruption found in the sources read. · Low confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- AltitudeSea level4.5
The Up Run starts at sea level; the high point is not published on official pages. · Low confidence
Cutoffs
How generous the overall and intermediate cutoffs are for the terrain. Counts for 13% of the overall score.
- Overall cutoffNormal3.0
12 hours for 85.8 km (53.3 mi) is 8:23 per km (13:30 per mile), but the last 2026 cut-off leaves 35 min for 6.7 km (4.2 mi). · Medium confidence
- Intermediate cutoffsTight2.4
Six timed cut-offs before the finish; about 10% did not finish in 2026, against about 7% in 2024 when cut-offs were relaxed. · High confidence
Intermediate cutoffs (2026 (distance, cut-offs); 2027 (direction, fees))
| Where | Distance | Cutoff |
|---|---|---|
| Pinetown Underpass | 19 km (11 mi) | 3:05 elapsed (08:35 clock, red cut-off) |
| Winston Park (Caltex Garage) | 30 km (18 mi) | 4:50 elapsed (10:20) |
| Drummond (halfway) | 43 km (27 mi) | 6:40 elapsed (12:10) |
| Cato Ridge (N3 subway) | 57 km (35 mi) | 8:35 elapsed (14:05) |
| Umlaas Road (before new R56 intersection) | 67 km (42 mi) | 9:55 elapsed (15:25) |
| Mkondeni (Poinsettia Road and Shortts Retreat Road) | 79 km (49 mi) | 11:25 elapsed (16:55) |
| Finish, Scottsville Racecourse | 86 km (53 mi) | 12:00 elapsed (17:30) |
Not part of the score
- First timer friendlyDoable3.1
Huge support and rescue buses, but a marathon qualifier is needed and the 12-hour limit and hills are unforgiving. · Medium confidence
- Getting inHard2.3
Ballot plus a marathon qualifier under 4:59:59; the 2026 field filled in under ten hours. · Medium confidence
Stay and travel
Getting there, places to stay, race-day logistics and value. Counts for 8% of the overall score.
- Travel easeFair3.2
Long-haul for most runners; Durban airport is near the start city but the distance was not checked. · Low confidence
- Places to stayBook early3.4
Two large cities, one at each end; few runners wrote about where they stayed. · Low confidence
- LogisticsSome complexity2.6
Point to point between two cities with a 05:00 start and a closed route; buses carry runners cut off. · Low confidence
- ValueGood value3.6
R4,500 (about 250 USD) for international entrants for a closed-road event with 49 stations. · Low confidence
Key facts
Checked against the 2026 (distance, cut-offs); 2027 (direction, fees) edition on the official race site. Rules change, so confirm before you enter. Blank means the race does not publish it.
- Location
- Pietermaritzburg / Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
- Region
- Outside the US
- Typical month
- June
- Latest or next date
- 13 June 2027
- Start time
- 05:00
- First held
- 1921
- Distance
- 85.8 km (53.3 mi)
- Course shape
- Point to point
- Surface
- Road: Closed public roads between Durban and Pietermaritzburg; finish inside Hollywoodbets Scottsville Racecourse (up run).
- Footing
- Official pages give no elevation gain or high point. iRunFar's 2026 report says the Up Run climbs about 1,750 m (5,700 ft) in total with five big hills: Cowies, Field's, Botha's, Inchanga and Polly Shortts. Marathon Handbook says the Up Run nets about 750 m (2,460 ft). Both are unofficial.
- Overall cutoff
- 12 hours
- Pace to make the cutoff
- 13:30 per mi (8:23 per km)
- Cutoff notes
- These are the 2026 Up Run cut-offs and will not apply to the 2027 Down Run, whose times are not yet published. Three start guns at 05:00, 05:15 and 05:30; each group gets 12 hours from its own gun, but every intermediate cut-off is counted from the 05:30 start. Traffic lights: green, amber as a warning, red is the cut-off, and runners at red board rescue buses. The 2026 table is published as an image, so the clock times come from the earlier research and were not re-read.
- Aid stations
- 49
- Crew access
- Many points
- Pacers
- Not allowed
- Support notes
- 49 official refreshment stations over 85.777 km (53.3 mi), about one every 1.75 km (1.1 mi) on average; all carry water sachets, energy drink and cola, selected ones add potatoes, orange, banana and other items. Eight medical and physio stations. Seconds may hand over supplies from a stationary position anywhere on the route (stand-and-hand) but may not drive, cycle or run alongside, nor be within 100 m (330 ft) of a refreshment station; the course is closed to non-accredited vehicles. Pacing by friends is not allowed. Accredited pacesetters run goal-time groups. Drop bags are not mentioned in the Final Race Instructions.
- Water crossings
- None
- Water notes
- Road race.
- Night running
- Some
- Mandatory gear
- None listed in the 2026 Final Race Instructions beyond race number, timing chip and official club or neutral apparel; branding limits apply.
- Entry
- Lottery + qualifier
- Qualifier needed
- Official result of at least a marathon (42.2 km) in 4:59:59, or longer distance standards such as 90 km in 11:59:59 and 100 km in 13:34:59, completed between 15 June 2026 and 3 May 2027; entrants may enter before qualifying but must qualify by 3 May 2027.
- Entry fee
- About $250
- Fee notes
- South Africans R1,200; rest of Africa R2,000; international R4,500 (2027).
- Field size
- About 20,349 runners
- Sells out
- days
- Entry notes
- International fee R4,500 (about 250 USD at roughly 18 rand per USD). 2027 entry is a ballot plus first-come windows; the official page read states the qualifying window ends 3 May 2027 but gives no ballot dates. The 2026 field of 21,633 confirmed entrants filled in under ten hours (Marathon Handbook). field_size is 2026 starters.
- Finish rate
- 90% of starters in 2026
- Weather notes
- Official pages read do not describe weather; June is South African winter with a dark 05:00 start.
- Nearest airport
- DUR (King Shaka International)
- Stay notes
- Not covered by official pages read. Runner rescue buses and finish-precinct medical care are provided. Finish and start are in different cities, so plan transport around the direction.
- Course record (men)
- 5:15:56 (George Kusche, up run 2026)
- Course record (women)
- 5:44:53 (Gerda Steyn, up run 2026)
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What runners and reviewers say
- The Running MannRaced 2024 · blog · Mixed
Argues the 2024 final cut-off at the top of Polly Shortts (11:10) was too tight, with 371 medallists in 2019 passing there between 11:00 and 11:10. Credits the 2024 changes that removed Pinetown and added time at Winston Park and Drummond.
“hundreds of runners missing out on a medal”
- Footy AlmanacRaced 2017 · blog · Mixed
Passed the Drummond cut-off with just over a minute to spare, then pulled out near 43 km (27 mi). Describes about 20,000 runners, a large international contingent, a warm ovation for those finishing outside the cut-off, five major hills and bus transport for those cut off.
“one that I'll never forget”
- iRunFar 2026Raced 2026 · article · Positive
2026 up run covered 86 km (53 mi) from Durban to Pietermaritzburg with more than 21,000 starters announced; Kusche set a record 5:15:56 and Steyn won in 5:44:53. Describes sea level to about 1,750 m (5,700 ft) of climbing, five named hills, and Polly Shortts in the last 10 km (6 mi).
- Marathon HandbookRaced 2026 · article · Positive
2026 guide: three start groups, traffic-light cut-offs calculated from the 05:30 group, general entries hit the 22,000 cap in under ten hours, 21,633 confirmed runners from more than 80 countries, and suggested spectator spots. Does not list intermediate times.
- Coach Parry blogRaced 2023 · blog · Positive
Training guide: sub-12 needs just under 8:00 per km (12:48 per mile) on the down run and about 8:12 per km (13:12 per mile) on the up run, run-walk helps on hills, and starting too fast is the main mistake.
“Resist the temptation to start too fast”
Show 4 more
- Modern AthleteRaced 2012 · blog · Positive
First finish in 11:29 on the 2012 down run for a Vic Clapham medal after not finishing the 2011 up run. Electric start, supporters along the route, Fields Hill the hardest stretch in the last 10 km (6 mi), and a moving stadium finish.
- UCT Athletics Club (SPNAfrica report)Raced 2024 · article · Positive
2024 up run had 18,884 starters; about 93% finished, up from 86% at the previous up run, credited to relaxed cut-offs. The association chair said crowds were bigger than ever.
“Crowds were bigger than ever”
- The Citizen (Randfontein Herald)Raced 2024 · article · Positive
First-time Comrades finisher in 11:30:00 after training seriously for about a year; strangers along the route cheered her on. Calls the race demanding.
“It truly is The Ultimate Human Race for good reason.”
- Wits University news (pre-race)Raced 2026 · article · Positive
Profile of a first-timer who qualified with a 4:35 marathon and ran a first ultra before the 2026 race; training described as among the most demanding things he has done. No race outcome in the piece.
Ran Comrades Marathon? Your notes on the footing, cutoffs and aid stations help the next runner decide.
Sources
Pages we used for facts and ratings.
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