ULTRA · South Africa

Comrades Marathon

The world's oldest and largest ultramarathon. 89km between Durban and Pietermaritzburg, alternating direction each year. The cutoff gun at 12 hours is one of sport's great dramatic moments.

city
Durban/Pietermaritzburg
event date
2027-06-13
distance
89km
course difficulty
—
REGISTER →
Course
{
  "guide": [
    "Walk-run every hill from km 20 onwards. Running every hill is the #1 cause of Comrades DNF.",
    "On the Down Run, train 6+ long descents — quad damage at km 60 is non-negotiable if you don't.",
    "Carb load earlier than for a marathon. You will be out there 9–11 hours.",
    "Drop bag at halfway is mandatory. Bring dry socks, salt, caffeine.",
    "Aim for the Bill Rowan medal (sub-9) or the Robert Mtshali (sub-10) — they give structure to pacing."
  ],
  "profile": "89 km point-to-point between Durban and Pietermaritzburg. Direction alternates yearly — \"Up Run\" climbs from coast to altitude, \"Down Run\" descends but hammers quads. Five named hills define the race.",
  "terrain": "hilly",
  "keyFeatures": [
    "Cowies Hill (~km 18 Up / ~km 70 Down) — First of the Big Five. Short but steep.",
    "Field's Hill (~km 23 Up / ~km 65 Down) — The longest climb. 3 km sustained.",
    "Botha's Hill (~km 36 Up / ~km 52 Down) — Kearsney College. Midway marker.",
    "Inchanga (~km 48 Up / ~km 40 Down) — Switchback hill, brutal on Up Run.",
    "Polly Shortts (~km 80 Up / ~km 8 Down) — The finisher. On Up Run, it breaks more runners than any other climb on earth.",
    "12-hour cutoff at Scottsville Racecourse / Moses Mabhida Stadium. The gun is the sport's great dramatic moment."
  ],
  "elevationGain": 1200,
  "elevationLoss": 1800
}