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Comrades set for bumper 2010

Brad Morgan

7 September 2009

South Africa's Comrades Marathon celebrates its 85th anniversary in 2010, and the organisers are planning a bumper event for an anticipated field of 20 000 runners on 30 May 2010 – less than a fortnight before the kickoff of the 2010 Fifa World Cup.

Earlier this week, at a function at Montecasino in Johannesburg to launch the 2010 race, Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) CEO Gary Boshoff said: "The 85th running of the Comrades Marathon is a race that any marathon runner cannot afford to miss."

Race Director Renee Jordaan commented: "Next year's race provides for some unique challenges for the CMA, but concrete plans have been laid and are in the process of being executed, and we can assure all competitors of a world class race day."

New medal

To commemorate the 85th anniversary, a new medal will be awarded to all runners that complete the 89.17-kilometre route in less than 12 hours. It measures 50 millimetres in size, making it the largest medal ever awarded in the race; the regular size of medals is 30 millimetres.

The 2010 race will be a down run. It is the first time in the history of the event, which first took place in 1921, that the race is being run from Pietermaritzburg to Durban in consecutive years. The reason for this is to accommodate the expected large field at the finish.

At Montecasino, the CMA unveiled its plans for next year's race, including information on the entry and qualifying procedures.

2010 entries

Entries opened to all previous runners of the world famous race on 1 September. They will close on 31 October. However, the total number of entries has been capped at 20 000 entrants, so if that figure is reached before the end of October, they will be closed before then.

The second phase of entries, which is for all novices, opens on 1 November and closes on 30 November. The novice entries have been capped at 5 000, and if that figure is reached before the end of the month the entries will be closed then.

The qualifying period, during which prospective competitors need to post a qualifying time in one of the many qualifying races, will run from 24 May 2009 to 26 April 2010.

Finishers from the 2009 Comrades Marathon will be able to use their finishing times for the 2010 race.

Submitting information

To clarify, entries must be made within the windows set out above, but qualifying times can be run up until 26 April 2010. After that, entrants need to submit their qualifying times and details to the CMA. Once their qualifying information has been received, the runner's entry will be confirmed.

Runners also have to submit their running club and running licence to the CMA as soon as they receive them from their clubs. The closing date is the same as that for the final qualifying races: 26 April 2010.

The Comrades Marathon is also sporting a new-look website, www.comrades.com. It is one South Africa's most visited sports websites, attracting more than 1.6-million views per month. On race day, 24 May 2009, the site received over 2-million views.

Celebrity and Comrades Legends Challenge

The CMA has also announced a Celebrity and Comrades Legends Challenge. Celebrities include individuals from other sports codes and the entertainment industries, thus showcasing that one does not have to be a talented or gifted athlete to be able to run and complete "The Ultimate Human Race."

Celebrities and sports stars that have committed to the challenge include Kwaito star Kabelo, former Big Brother SA winner Ferdinand Rabie, Biggest Loser SA runner-up Asanda Siloti, VJ and actor Lungile Radu, sports presenter Phumlani Dube, former KZN and South African A cricketer Doug Watson, desert runner Ryan Sandes, and former Springboks scrumhalf Garth Wright.

The Legends Challenge, it is hoped, will feature some of the race greats of yesteryear, among them Bruce Fordyce, Andrew Kelehe, Shaun Meiklejohn, and Willie Mtolo. The CMA is currently in discussions with the legends about taking up the challenge of the Comrades Marathon once more.

The Celebrities and Legends will run for the Amabeadibeadi Comrades Charity Campaign, which is made up of the Starfish Great Hearts Foundation, Wildlands Conservation Trust, The Sports Trust, and the Community Chest.