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BLOGGING THE VIEW: Everything you need to know about the Comrades Marathon 2025
BLOGGING THE VIEW: Everything you need to know about the Comrades Marathon 2025
THE Comrades Marathon, dubbed the 'Ultimate Human Race', returns for its 98th edition this Sunday, 8 June.
This iconic ultramarathon will follow the down run route, starting from Pietermaritzburg City Hall and concluding at Durban's People's Park.
Fast Facts about Comrades 2025
1. Route
The 2025 down run spans 89.98km, descending from Pietermaritzburg to Durban. The course includes notable landmarks such as Polly Shortts, Umlaas Road, Cato Ridge, Drummond (halfway point), Inchanga and Fields Hill.
ALSO READ: 10 fun facts about the Comrades Marathon
2. Cut-off points
To ensure runner safety and race integrity, specific cut-off times are enforced at various points along the route:
· Cato Ridge (30.5km): 5:10:00 race time (11.10am)
· Drummond (45km): 6:40:00 race time (12.40pm)
· Winston Park (58.3km): 8:30:00 race time (2.30pm)
· Pinetown (69.1km): 10:05:00 race time (4.05pm)
· 45th Cutting (81.5km): 11:30:00 race time (5.30pm)
· Finish (89.98km): 12:00:00 race time (6pm)
3. Qualification and entry
Being such a gruelling race – almost double the traditional marathon length – Comrades has strict qualifying criteria to ensure the safety of all. This includes:
· Qualifying period: 10 June 2024 to 5 May 2025
· Minimum age: 20 years
· Qualifying criteria: Completion of an officially recognised standard marathon (42.2km) in under 4 hours and 50 minutes during the qualifying period.
ALSO READ: Comrades Marathon 2025: Road closures and travel alerts for Zululand residents
4. Medal categories
Completing the Comrades Marathon is an amazing accomplishment, and all race finishers will receive a medal based on their completion time. The categories include:
· Gold: Top 10 finishers (men and women)
· Wally Hayward: Men finishing 11th place to sub-6:00
· Isavel Roche-Kelly: Women finishing 11th place to sub-7:00
· Silver: Men finishing sub-7:30; women from 2024 onward
· Bill Rowan: 7:30 to sub-9:00
· Robert Mtshali: 9:00 to sub-10:00
· Bronze: 10:00 to sub-11:00
· Vic Clapham: 11:00 to sub-12:00
· Back-to-Back: Awarded to novices who complete their second consecutive Comrades Marathon
5. Traditions and highlights
With almost a century of history, the Comrades Marathon has a number of interesting race rituals and traditions that are followed. These include:
· Start rituals: The race gets going with the South African national anthem, followed by Shosholoza, Chariots of Fire and Max Trimborn's iconic rooster crow.
· Arthur's Seat: Located near Drummond (halfway point), runners often place flowers here as they believe it brings good luck for the remainder of the race.
· Finish line: A 12-hour gun signals the official end of the race, followed by the Last Post to honour those who didn't finish in time.
Support the runners along the Comrades route or from your couch this Sunday!
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