Thousands set off on ultimate human race
PIETERMARITZBURG - The 98th edition of the Comrades Marathon is here.
This is a 49th Down Run, starting at the Pietermaritzburg City Hall and finishing 12 hours later at Durban's People's Park, covering approximately 89km.
As always, the Ultimate Human Race sees both professional athletes gunning for the win and thousands of members of the public who want to test their capabilities.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Maverick
2 hours ago
- Daily Maverick
Analysis: The Comrades Marathon ‘day of drama' starring Tete Dijana and Gerda Steyn as victors
The Comrades Marathon is always a riveting show. On Sunday, Gerda Steyn and Tete Dijana starred — supported by cast members from all walks of life. The beauty of the Comrades Marathon is that it doesn't matter whether you are an elite athlete or a novice runner — crossing that finish line after hours of running evokes the same emotions: elation and relief. After hours of testing one's body, mind and spirit, reaching the finish is the best reward. The medal is just a bonus. As such, everyone who managed to endure the physical torture that comes with running the ultramarathon would have been as thrilled as the two 2025 champions, Tete Dijana and Gerda Steyn. advertisement Don't want to see this? Remove ads On Sunday, about 22,000 runners lined up for the 98th edition of one of the toughest ultramarathons in the world, battling themselves and the clock for victory during the 90km run from Pietermaritzburg to Durban. 'What a day of drama. Packed with action from the start, the men's race, the women's race. Then, of course, there was the greatest race of all: everybody against the clock. That clock ticks at a relentless pace. It never cramps and it never gets tired. It just keeps going,' said nine-time Comrades champion Bruce Fordyce on SuperSport. Dijana's redemption Chasing redemption following a calamitous display as defending champion in 2024 — which saw him finish 14th — Dijana paced himself admirably on the way to crossing the finish line first, in 5:25:28. A year ago, the pressure of winning a historic hat-trick of Comrades titles had tripped Dijana up. He was also hampered by cramps. advertisement Don't want to see this? Remove ads In 2025, there were no such occurrences. Dijana bunched up with fellow favourites including the eventual men's runner-up, Piet Wiersma, Edward Mothibi, David Gatebe and Joseph Manyedi. They were all chasing the early pacesetter, Onalenna Khonkhobe. Khonkhobe did not finish the race, despite leading it for 4½ hours. At one point, the 2024 Two Oceans Marathon winner enjoyed a gap of 19 minutes from the chasing pack, which featured Dijana and Wiersma. At Pinetown's Cowies Hill, the chasers caught up to and passed Khonkhobe. Then Dijana, Wiersma and Mothibi peeled away from the bunch. However, Mothibi struggled to keep up with Wiersma and Dijana. 'Today was not a good day for me. I was fit, I was ready. It's only when you run where you don't know what to expect,' said Mothibi. 'With 20km to go, I started cramping, but I held on. When Tete saw I was not coming back, he asked me what's going on. I said, 'I'm getting cramps. I don't think I'll be good to run with you. So, if you have a chance to go, just go.' He did exactly that,' said he 2019 winner. After failing to chase Dijana down, the Netherlands' Wiersma acknowledged that he and Dijana had built a rivalry over the last few years — one which will probably persist for some time as the two marathoners seek to outshine each other. 'Tete is clearly the down-run king right now. But I hope I can be the up-run king with a victory next year,' said Wiersma. advertisement Don't want to see this? Remove ads advertisement Don't want to see this? Remove ads Steyn reigns supreme While the crown for the current king of the Comrades is being jousted for by Dijana and Wiersma, Olympian Steyn reigns supreme in the women's segment. Nevertheless, in Sunday's down run, Steyn did not have it all her way, with 2022 champion Alexandra Morozova putting pressure on her. Steyn wore her trademark smile for large portions of the race. However, at times, she grimaced as Morozova hovered over her shoulder. Eventually, Steyn's experience and home advantage paid dividends as she cruised to victory over the Russian, with a gap of almost five minutes. In third place, Kenya's Shelmith Muriuki became the first black woman to finish on the Comrades podium. Despite her history-making achievement, Muruiki finished 16 minutes behind home favourite Steyn. 'You feel like you are not inside your own body. It's like you are looking down on yourself doing it. To get to a point where you are in the finishing straight and you are going to win, it is meaningful and impactful,' said Steyn after her fourth Comrades victory. With more than 24,000 entries for this year's race, the organisers split the participants into two groups at the starting point. They were 15 minutes apart, with the elite runners heading off first. advertisement Don't want to see this? Remove ads About 22,000 runners eventually lined up and the staggered start worked well in preventing pushing and shoving at the beginning. The exercise was a trial run for 2027, when many more participants are expected due to it being the 100th Comrades Marathon. DM
IOL News
5 hours ago
- IOL News
Friends and family desperately search for missing Comrades Marathon runner, Moira Harding
A search is under way for Moira Harding, a female runner who vanished after completing the Comrades Marathon, in Durban on Sunday. Harding is believed to have completed the race just before 5pm and has not been seen since. A family friend confirmed to IOL that Harding is from Kommetjie in Cape Town.
IOL News
8 hours ago
- IOL News
You feel like you are not inside your own body, says jubilant Steyn
Gerda Steyn has described winning the Comrades Marathon as 'an out-of-body experience'. On a day when Louis Massyn became the first man to complete the race 50 times, the Hollywood Athletics Club athlete reigned supreme once again. Steyn secured her fourth Comrades Marathon title — an unprecedented feat for a woman — with a composed run of 5:51:19, and yet her elation resembled that of a first-time winner. 'The feeling? You feel like you are not inside your own body,' she said during the post-race press conference at Moses Mabhida Stadium. 'It's like you look down on yourself doing it. To get to a point where you are in the finishing straight and you are going to win it — it is meaningful and impactful.' A crowd favourite, Steyn still had the energy for a celebratory lap of honour, high-fiving supporters with her trademark smile — though a rare grimace was spotted during the race, suggesting that this year's win didn't come as easily as in her previous triumphs. 'I try to share it,' she explained. 'That moment is so big, you can't hold it all in one body. So I will try to share it with the supporters. I will forever remember it.'
