Get ready for 95th edition of Comrades
IT’S THE final countdown to the 95th edition of the Comrades Marathon which will see thousands flock to the start in Pietermaritzburg next Sunday as the ultimate human race gets under way.
The Comrades Marathon is making a return with a down run to Durban after a two-year absence due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
This year’s race promises to be bigger and better. However, some runners and spectators are unhappy with the decision to have Supersport as the official broadcaster as not all families can afford the Dstv subscription.
In March, Athletics South Africa (ASA) announced that the ultra marathon would only be available to the Supersport’s continental subscriber base across all packages. Those without Dstv will be able to stream live but at a cost.
The Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) expressed its desire that all spectators, supporters, viewers, runners and their families could watch the race next Sunday and said the change to Supersport was not a CMA decision but one that was taken by ASA.
Delaine Cools, marketing and communications officer at CMA, said the Msunduzi and ethekwini municipalities were fixing potholes along the route and that the Comrades Finish Venue Team was hard at work preparing the Moses Mabhida Stadium for the finishers.
“Everything is pretty much sorted. We have a very able volunteer base of race organising committee members who, together with our board and staff, go the extra mile to ensure that the Comrades remains an incredibly well-organised event,” Cools said.
She said Moses Mabhida Stadium was a focal point of the event. “A lot will be done to ensure it is ready to greet the 2022 Comrades champs, other athletes, dignitaries and CMA stakeholders.”
The Comrades Expo will be held over three days, starting on Thursday and finishing on Saturday. It will be hosted at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Convention Centre for the first time in 22 years. Runners will also be collecting old and new shoes, which will be distributed after the race.
Some of the firm women favourites making a return are Charné Bosman, the last down run champion Ann Ashworth, Jenna Challenor, a relative novice to ultra running but a top 10 contender for this year’s Comrades Marathon. Alexandra Morozova from Russia, Dominika Stelmach from Poland, who finished fifth in her first Comrades in 2019, and Camille Herron from the US.
Strong contenders for the men’s race include South Africa’s Edward ‘Slender’ Mothibi, the winner of the 2019 race, Bongmusa Mthembu, who came behind Mothibi in 2019, Mahlomola Sekhonyana and Joseph Manyedi.
Justin Cheshire from Kenya, a contender for a podium finish, Henri Ansio from Finland and Marko Mambo from Zimbabwe are also ones to watch.
The winners of both categories will take home R260 000, while the two runners-ups will receive R130 000 and the third-place finishers R90 000.