12 000 for Comrades 2006
29 May 2006
Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) organisers have confirmed a field of 11 933 men and women to participate in the 81st running of the Comrades Marathon on Youth Day – Friday, 16 June 2006. The figure is similar to the previous two "Up Runs", which in 2004 attracted 12 059 competitors and in 2002 a field of 12 167.
While still in the throes of processing and resolving final queries related to entries, Race Manager Renee Smith confirmed the administration has captured and confirmed 9 941 men and 1 992 women to date. By the time all queries have been resolved, a field of over 12 000 competitors is expected.
At 05:30 on Friday, 16 June, Durban Mayor Obed Mlaba will fire the gun to officially start the 2006 Comrades Marathon, setting off a field of runners from every corner of the country and around the world on a historic pilgrimage, which is steeped in folklore and tradition.
First staged in 1921
Their
journey will follow in the footsteps of the 76 515 brave men and women who have previously completed the distance since the first Comrades Marathon was staged from Pietermaritzburg to Durban on 24 May 1921.
On that occasion a bedraggled bunch of just 34 athletes and soldiers faced the starter's pistol outside the Pietermaritzburg City Hall to participate in an event which was conceived to commemorate the courage, camaraderie, hardships and sacrifice of the soldiers who fought in the First World War.
Although that first event produced just 16 finishers, it so completely inspired the nation that the race attracted a phenomenal 89 starters as the direction of the race was reversed from Durban to Pietermaritzburg in 1922, thus beginning the tradition of alternating "Up Runs" and "Down Runs" on an annual basis.
Fluctuation of entries
Over the years the number of entries has fluctuated widely as the Comrades Marathon has withstood
fluctuations in the popularity of the sport of athletics, as well as the ravages of war, depression, apartheid, isolation, commercialism, professionalism and globalisation.
The race attracted its lowest number of competitors – 19 in 1936, 20 in 1938 and 22 in 1946 - with the race having been suspended during the war years 1941 to 1945.
It attracted its largest number of competitors – 24 505 - as it celebrated its 75th running, which coincided with the millennium in 2000.
It took 40 years for the race to grow from 34 competitors in 1921 to 100 in 1961, and then a further decade to grow from 100 in 1961 to 1000 in 1971.
Legends
During this period the fortunes of the race often fluctuated with the popularity of the heroes it produced, including such legends as Arthur Newton during the 1920's, Hardy Ballington during the 1930's, Wally Hayward during the 1950's and Jackie Mekler during the 1960's.
However, it was between
1971 and 1985 that the Comrades Marathon experienced its greatest period of growth from 1000 to 10 000 competitors, catching a ride on a world-wide road running boom.
This period also coincided with the exploits of two other Comrades Marathon greats – Alan Robb during the late 1970's and Bruce Fordyce in the 1980's - as well as coinciding with the advent of live television coverage in the 1980’s.
Entries steady
With the exception of the millennium event, Comrades Marathon entries have remained steady between 12 000 and 15 000 since 1991, with "Down Runs" in general being perceived as easier and thus attracting more entries than "Up Runs".
The intensity of competition is such that in recent years no single athlete has been able to establish the sort of dominance with which the Comrades legendary heroes of previous decades have been associated with the race.
The race remains, however, a personal odyssey of courage, commitment
and exceptional achievement for each and every one of the individual men and women who tackle it each year, as well as an inspiration to the nation.
SouthAfrica.info reporter
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