- Comrades Marathon
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Comrades Marathon 
The Comrades Marathon logoDate May/June Location Durban/Pietermaritzburg, South Africa Event type Road Distance Ultramarathon (90 km) Established 1921 Course records Down:
Men: 5:20:49 (2007)
Leonid Shvetsov
Women: 5:54:43 (1989)
Frith van der Merwe
Up:
Men: 5:24:49 (2008)
Leonid Shvetsov
Women: 6:09:23 (2006)
Elena NurgalievaOfficial site The Comrades Marathon The Comrades Marathon is an ultramarathon of approximately 90 km (approx. 56 miles) run in the Kwazulu-Natal Province of South Africa between the cities of Durban and Pietermaritzburg. It is the world's largest and oldest ultramarathon race. The direction of the race alternates each year between the "up" run (87km) starting from Durban and the "down" run (89km) starting from Pietermaritzburg.
Contents
Course
The race is run on the roads of KwaZulu-Natal Province, marked by "The Big Five" set of hills. On the up run they appear in the following order: Cowies Hill, Field's Hill, Botha's Hill, Inchanga, and finally, Polly Shortts.
Rules
Athletes currently have 12 hours to complete the course, extended from 11 hours in 2003. There are a number of cut-off points along the routes which runners must reach by a prescribed time or be forced to retire from the race. A runner who has successfully completed nine marathons wears a yellow number, while those who have completed ten races wear a green number, permanently allocated to the runner for all future races.
Medals are awarded to all runners completing the course in under 12 hours. Medals are currently awarded as follows:
- Gold medals: The first 10 men and women.
- Wally Hayward medals (silver-centred circled by gold ring): 11th position to sub 6hrs 00min
- Silver medals: 6hrs 00min 01sec to sub 7hrs 30min.
- Bill Rowan medals (bronze-centred circled by silver ring): 7hrs 30min to sub 9hrs 00min.
- Bronze medals: 9hrs 00min to sub 11hrs 00min.
- Vic Clapham medals (copper): 11hrs 00min to sub 12hrs 00min.
Prior to 2000, only gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded. The Bill Rowan medal was introduced in 2000 and named after the winner of the first Comrades Marathon in 1921. The time limit for this medal was inspired by Rowan's winning time in 1921 of 8hrs 59min. A new copper medal, the Vic Clapham medal (named after the race founder), was added in 2003. This medal coincided with the increase in the time allocation for completing the event from sub 11hrs to sub 12hrs. The Wally Hayward medal, named after five-time winner Wally Hayward, was added in 2007 for runners finishing in under 6hrs.
History
Bust of Vic Clapham, founder of the Comrades
The Comrades was run for the first time on 24 May 1921 (Empire Day), and with the exception of a break during World War II, has been run every year since. The 2010 event was the 85th race. To date, over 300,000 runners have completed the race.[1]
The race was the idea of World War I veteran Vic Clapham, to commemorate the South African soldiers killed during the war. Clapham, who had endured a 2,700-kilometre route march through sweltering German East Africa, wanted the memorial to be a unique test of the physical endurance of the entrants. The constitution of the race states that one of its primary aims is to "celebrate mankind's spirit over adversity".
From 1962 to 1994 the race was run on Republic Day, 31 May. After this public holiday was scrapped in 1995 by the post-apartheid South African government, the race date was changed to Youth Day on 16 June. In 2007, the race organisers (controversially) bowed to political pressure from the ANC Youth League, who felt that the race diverted attention from the significance of Youth Day, and changed the race date to Sunday 17 June for 2007 and 15 June for 2008. In 2009 and 2010 the date was changed (to 24 May and 30 May respectively) to accommodate football's Confederations Cup (2009) and World Cup (2010) in South Africa.
1920s
Forty-eight runners entered the first race in 1921, but only thirty-four elected to start. The course at the time was tarred only for the final few kilometres into Durban. A time limit of 12 hours was set and Bill Rowan became the inaugural winner, clocking 08:59 to win by 41 minutes ahead of Harry Phillips. Of the 34 starters, only 16 completed the race.
Arthur Newton entered and won the race for the first time in 1922. He went on to win the race five times and emerge as the dominant Comrades runner of the 1920s. When he completed the down run in 06:56 in 1923, there were only a handful of spectators on hand to witness the finish because so few thought it possible that the race could be run so quickly. The first woman to run the race was Frances Hayward in 1923,[2] but her entry was refused, so she was an unofficial entrant.[1] She completed the event in 11:35[1] and although she was not awarded a Comrades medal, the other runners and spectators presented her with a silver tea service and a rose bowl. In 1924 the Comrades had its fewest starters ever, just 24. Four years later, in 1928, the time limit for the race was reduced by an hour to 11 hours.
1930s
In the 1930s, Hardy Ballington emerged as the dominant runner, recording four victories in 1933, 1934, 1936 and 1938. The winner of the 1930 race, Wally Hayward, became one of the greatest legends of the Comrades Marathon, winning a further four times in the fifties, and becoming the oldest man to complete the race in 1989. In 1932 Geraldine Watson, an unofficial entrant, became the first woman to complete both the up run and the down run.
1940s
After Ballington's domination of the 1930s, Comrades was stopped during the war years from 1941 to 1945. In 1948 a Comrades tradition was born when race official Max Trimborn, instead of firing the customary starter's gun, gave a loud imitation of a cock's crow. That tradition continues to the present day with Trimborn's recorded voice played over loudspeakers at the starting line.
1950s
In the 1950s, a full twenty years after he won the race for the first time, Wally Hayward recorded his second victory and followed that up with wins in 1951, 1953 and 1954. He represented South Africa at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki, where he finished tenth in the marathon. Hayward retired from the Comrades after establishing new records for both the up and down runs and equaling the five wins of Newton and Ballington. In 1958, the race was won for the first time by Jackie Mekler, who went on to win the race five times, finishing second twice and third twice.
1960s
In the 1960s, Comrades grew considerably, from 104 starters in 1960 to 703 starters in 1969. Due to the bigger fields, cut-off points were introduced for the first time at Drummond and Cato Ridge. Mekler became the first man to break the six-hour barrier in 1960, finishing in 5:56:32.
In 1962, the race attracted foreign entries for the first time as the Road Runners Club of England sent over four of the best long-distance runners in Britain. English runner John Smith won the race, an up run, in under six hours, missing out on the course record by 33 seconds. Watching the stragglers come in hours later, Smith commented to former winner Bill Cochrane that the other people completing the race were getting as much applause as he had received. "You are now witnessing the spirit of the Comrades," replied Cochrane.
In 1965, English runner Bernard Gomersall broke Mekler's down run record with a time of 5:51:09.
In 1967, Manie Kuhn and Tommy Malone were involved in the closest finish in the history of the race. Malone appeared to be on his way to a comfortable win and was handed the traditional message from the Mayor of Pietermaritzburg to the Mayor of Durban at Tollgate with a lead of two minutes over Kuhn. He entered the stadium in the lead with only 80 metres left to go. Suddenly Kuhn appeared only 15 metres behind and closed in quickly. Malone put in a burst for the line, but with only 15 metres left he fell to the ground with cramps. He attempted to get up again, but with the line within reach Kuhn flew past to grab victory. The mayoral message was forgotten as both runners embraced.
1970s
The Comrades had over 1,000 starters for the first time in 1971, with over 3,000 in 1979. The race was widely broadcast on both radio and television. The race was opened to all athletes for the first time in 1975, allowing blacks and women to take part officially. In 1975, the Golden Jubilee of the Comrades, Vincent Rakabele finished 20th to become the first black runner to officially win a medal. Elizabeth Cavanaugh became the first women's winner in a shade over 10 hours.
1976 saw the emergence of Alan Robb, who won the first of his four Comrades titles. Robb repeated his win in 1977, 1978 and 1980, including breaking the tape in Durban in 1978 in a record 5:29:14, almost 20 minutes and four kilometres ahead of runner-up Dave Wright.
1980s
During the 1980s the Comrades began with a field of 4,207 in 1980 and topped 5,000 for the first time in 1983.
In 1981, University of the Witwatersrand student Bruce Fordyce won the first of his eventual nine Comrades titles. An outspoken critic of apartheid, Fordyce and a number of other athletes initially decided to boycott the 1981 event when organisers announced that they would associate it with the 20th anniversary of the Republic of South Africa. Fordyce ultimately competed wearing a black armband to signal his protest. He repeated his victories in 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986 (a record 5:24:07 down run), 1987, 1988 (a record 5:27:42 for the up run), and 1990.
In 1989, Sam Tshabalala became the first black winner of the Comrades.
Schoolteacher Frith van der Merwe won the woman's race in 1988 in a time of 6:32:56. In 1989, Van der Merwe ran 5:54:43, obliterating the women's record and finishing fifteenth overall.[3]
In the same year Wally Hayward entered the race at the age of 79 and finished in 9:44:15. He repeated the feat in the 1989 Comrades, where he completed the race with only two minutes to spare and at the age of 80 became the oldest man to complete the Comrades.
1990s
Comrades Marathon House, the CMA's headquarters in Pietermaritzburg where race statistics and memorabilia are kept[4]During the 1990s the size of the starting fields was in the region of 12,000 to 14,000 runners. In 1995 prize money was introduced for the first time, attracting more foreign competitors. The traditional race day of May 31, formerly Republic Day, was changed to June 16, the anniversary of the Soweto uprising.
However, it seemed to be controversy that would dog the race during the 1990's.
In 1992 Charl Mattheus crossed the finish line first, but was later disqualified after testing positive for a banned substance. He claimed it was in medicine he had taken for a sore throat, but Jetman Msutu was elevated to the winner, thus becoming the second black winner of the Comrades. In a sad twist for Mattheus, the substance for which he was banned was later removed from the IAAF's banned substance list since all evidence pointed to it having no performance enhancing properties. Mattheus also suffered much negativity in the public eye but later managed to redeem his clean image with an emphatic faultless win in the 1997 down run beating a strong local and international field.
A year later in 1993, Herman Matthee (who unfortunately bore a similar surname to Mattheus and was often publicly mistaken as the same person) finished amongst the top ten gold medal winners but was later stripped of his gold medal after video evidence found that he had caught a taxi along the route cutting out almost 40km of the 90km race.[5][6] In a Comrades first, the 11th place finisher, Simon Williamson, was months later officially elevated to tenth place and awarded the last gold medal by then South African president FW de Klerk. Williamson had passed another runner, Ephraim Sekothlong, in the last 100 metres to claim 11th spot and unknowingly a gold medal.
In 1999, the Motsoeneng brothers, who strongly resembled one another, performed a memorable act of cheating during the race. By exchanging places with his brother at toilet stops and aided by car lifts at various stages, Sergio Motsoeneng finished ninth. This came as a surprise to those behind him, who could not recall being overtaken by the Zimbabwean runner. The brothers were exposed when television footage revealed them to be wearing watches on different arms.
2000s
The 75th anniversary of the Comrades Marathon in 2000 was the largest ever staged, with a massive field of 23,961. An extra hour was allowed for bronze medal finishers to celebrate the milestone. In 2010, on its 85th anniversary, the race gained a place in the Guinness World Records as the ultramarathon with most runners. 14,343 athletes, the largest field since the turn of the millennium, finished in the allowed 12 hours.[7][8]
Identical twin sisters Oelysa and Elena Nurgileva won a combined eight Comrades titles from 2003-2011, while three-time champion Stephen Muzhingi became the first non-South African winner from Africa in 2009. Stephen Muzhingi also became the first athlete to win three races in a row (2009, 2010 and 2011) since Bruce Fordyce won three in a row in the eighties (1981, 1982 and 1983).[9] Russian runner Leonid Shvetsov set both down and up course records in 2007 and 2008, respectively.
Health issues
As with every ultramarathon, there are potentially health risks involved in extreme physical events. In the history of the Comrades, there have been 7 deaths up to the 2007 event.[10]
Records
Course Records
Up/Down Run Record holder Country Year Time Men Down Leonid Shvetsov Russia 2007 5:20:49 Up Leonid Shvetsov Russia 2008 5:24:49 Women Down Frith van der Merwe South Africa 1989 5:54:43 Up Elena Nurgalieva Russia 2006 6:09:23 Most Wins
Men's Champion Wins Country Women's Champion Wins Country Bruce Fordyce 9 South Africa Elena Nurgalieva 6 Russia Arthur Newton 5 South Africa Maureen Holland 4 South Africa Hardy Ballington 5 South Africa Lettie van Zyl 3 South Africa Wally Hayward 5 South Africa Helen Lucre 3 South Africa Jack Mekler 5 South Africa Frith van der Merwe 3 South Africa Alan Robb 4 South Africa Maria Bak 3 Germany Medal holder Medals Dave Rogers 44 Clive Crawley 42 Past winners
Year u/d Time (Men) Men's Champion Country Time (Women) Women's Champion Country 2011 u 5:32:45 Stephen Muzhingi3 
Zimbabwe6:24:11 Elena Nurgalieva6 
Russia2010 d 5:29:01 Stephen Muzhingi2 Zimbabwe6:13:03 Elena Nurgalieva5 Russia2009 d 5:23:27 Stephen Muzhingi Zimbabwe6:12:08 Olesya Nurgalieva2 Russia2008 u 5:24:49 Leonid Shvetsov2 Russia6:14:38 Elena Nurgalieva4 Russia2007 d 5:20:49 Leonid Shvetsov Russia6:10:11 Olesya Nurgalieva Russia2006 u 5:35:19 Oleg Kharitonov Russia6:09:24 Elena Nurgalieva3 Russia2005 d 5:27:10 Sipho Ngomane 
South Africa5:58:50 Tatyana Zhirkova Russia2004 u 5:31:22 Vladimir Kotov3 
Belarus/RSA6:11:15 Elena Nurgalieva2 Russia2003 d 5:28:52 Fusi Nhlapo South Africa6:07:46 Elena Nurgalieva Russia2002 u 5:30:59 Vladimir Kotov2 Belarus/RSA6:14:21 Maria Bak3 
Germany2001 d 5:25:51 Andrew Kelehe South Africa6:13:53 Elvira Kolpakova Russia2000 u 5:25:33 Vladimir Kotov Belarus/RSA6:15:35 Maria Bak2 Germany1999 d 5:30:10 Jaroslaw Janicki 
Poland6:31:03 Birgit Lennartz Germany1998 u 5:26:25 Dmitri Grishine2 Russia6:38:57 Rae Bisschoff South Africa1997 d 5:28:37 Charl Mattheus South Africa5:58:24 Ann Trason2 
United States1996 u 5:29:33 Dmitri Grishine Russia6:13:23 Ann Trason United States1995 d 5:34:02 Shaun Meiklejohn South Africa6:22:57 Maria Bak Germany1994 u 5:38:39 Alberto Salazar United States6:41:23 Valentina Lyakhova Russia1993 d 5:39:41 Charly Doll Germany6:55:07 Tilda Tearle 
South Africa1992 u 5:46:11 Jetman Msutu South Africa6:51:05 Frances van Blerk South Africa1991 d 5:40:53 Nick Bester South Africa6:08:19 Frith van der Merwe3 South Africa1990 u 5:40:25 Bruce Fordyce9 South Africa7:02:00 Naidene Harrison South Africa1989 d 5:35:51 Samuel Tshabalala South Africa5:54:43 Frith van der Merwe2 South Africa1988 u 5:27:42 Bruce Fordyce8 South Africa6:32:56 Frith van der Merwe South Africa1987 u 5:37:01 Bruce Fordyce7 South Africa6:48:42 Helen Lucre3 South Africa1986 d 5:24:07 Bruce Fordyce6 South Africa6:55:01 Helen Lucre2 South Africa1985 u 5:37:01 Bruce Fordyce5 South Africa6:53:24 Helen Lucre South Africa1984 d 5:27:18 Bruce Fordyce4 South Africa6:46:35 Lindsay Weight2 South Africa1983 u 5:30:12 Bruce Fordyce3 South Africa7:12:56 Lindsay Weight South Africa1982 d 5:34:22 Bruce Fordyce2 South Africa7:04:59 Cheryl Winn South Africa1981 u 5:37:28 Bruce Fordyce South Africa6:44:35 Isavel Roche-Kelly2 South Africa1980 d 5:38:25 Alan Robb4 South Africa7:18: Isavel Roche-Kelly South Africa1979 u 5:45:02 Piet Vorster South Africa8:22:41 Jan Mallen South Africa1978 d 5:29:14 Alan Robb3 South Africa8:25: Lettie van Zyl3 South Africa1977 u 5:47:00 Alan Robb2 South Africa8:58: Lettie van Zyl2 South Africa1976 d 5:40:53 Alan Robb South Africa9:05: Lettie van Zyl South Africa1975 u 5:53:00 Derek Preiss2 South Africa10:08: Elizabeth Cavanagh2 South Africa1974 u 6:02:49 Derek Preiss South Africa10:40: Alet Kleynhans South Africa1973 d 5:39:09 Dave Levick South Africa8:40: Maureen Holland4 South Africa1972 u 5:48:57 Mick Orton 
United Kingdom9:26: Maureen Holland3 South Africa1971 d 5:47:06 Dave Bagshaw3 8:37: Maureen Holland2 South Africa1970 u 5:51:27 Dave Bagshaw2 10:50: Elizabeth Cavanagh South Africa1969 d 5:45:35 Dave Bagshaw South Africa1968 u 6:01:11 Jack Mekler5 South Africa1967 d 5:54:10 Manie Kuhn South Africa1966 u 6:14:07 Tommy Malone South Africa9:30:00 Maureen Holland South Africa1965 d 5:51:09 Bernard Gomersall United Kingdom10:07: Mavis Hutchinson South Africa1964 u 6:09:54 Jack Mekler4 South Africa1963 d 5:51:20 Jack Mekler3 South Africa1962 u 5:57:05 John Smith United Kingdom1961 d 6:07:07 George Claassen South Africa1960 u 5:56:32 Jack Mekler2 South Africa1959 d 6:28:11 Trevor Allen2 1958 u 6:26:26 Jack Mekler South Africa1957 d 6:13:55 Mercer Davies South Africa1956 u 6:33:35 Gerald Walsh2 1955 d 6:06:32 Gerald Walsh South Africa1954 u 6:12:55 Wally Hayward5 South Africa1953 d 5:52:30 Wally Hayward4 South Africa1952 u 7:00:02 Trevor Allen South Africa1951 d 6:14:08 Wally Hayward3 South Africa1950 u 6:46:25 Wally Hayward2 South Africa1949 d 6:23:21 Reg Allison South Africa1948 u 7:13:52 William Savage2 1947 d 6:41:05 Hardy Ballington5 1946 u 7:02:40 Bill Cochrane2 1941-45 Race not held due to World War II 1940 u 6:39:23 Allen Boyce South Africa1939 d 6:22:05 Johnny Coleman2 1938 u 6:32:26 Hardy Ballington4 1937 d 6:23:11 Johnny Coleman South Africa1936 u 6:46:14 Hardy Ballington3 1935 d 6:30:05 Bill Cochrane South Africa1934 u 7:09:03 Hardy Ballington2 1933 d 6:50:37 Hardy Ballington South Africa9:31:25 Geraldine Watson3 1932 u 7:41:58 William Savage South Africa11:56:00 Geraldine Watson2 1931 d 7:16:30 Phil Masterton-Smith South Africa11 hrs + Geraldine Watson South Africa1930 u 7:27:26 Wally Hayward South Africa1929 d 7:52:00 Darrell Dale South Africa1928 u 7:49:07 Frank Sutton South Africa1927 d 6:40:56 Arthur Newton5 1926 u 6:57:46 Harry Phillips 
South Africa1925 d 6:24:45 Arthur Newton4 1924 u 6:58:22 Arthur Newton3 1923 d 6:56:00 Arthur Newton2 11:35:00 Frances Hayward South Africa1922 u 8:40:00 Arthur Newton South Africa1921 d 8:59:00 Bill Rowan South Africa*The 1992 race was won by Charl Mattheus, who was later disqualified for testing positive for a banned stimulant.
References
- ^ a b c "Comrades 90 km". Association of Road Racing Statisticians. http://www.arrs.net/HP_Com54.htm. Retrieved 2009-05-25.
- ^ Aerni, John. "Why Comrades Is the Greatest". Running Times Magazine. http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=16216&PageNum=2. Retrieved 2009-05-25.
- ^ Cook, Jonathan (2005-06-15). "Frith the Comrades queen". News24. http://www.news24.com/News24/Sport/Comrades/0,,2-9-1629_1722107,00.html. Retrieved 2009-05-09.
- ^ Comrades Marathon House, encounter south africa
- ^ Man sê hy't Matthee halfpad afgelaai, Die Burger, 1993-6-7
- ^ Herman Matthee wil weer hardloop, Die Burger, 1993-7-23
- ^ "Comrades a record breaker". Sport24. 2010-10-19. http://www.sport24.co.za/OtherSport/Athletics/Comrades-New-Guinness-record-20101019.
- ^ "Comrades marathon sets new Guinness world record". Gomulti. 2010-10-19. http://www.gomulti.co.za/news-running/comrades-marathon-sets-new-guiness-world-record.
- ^ Jorberg, Randolf (2009-05-24). "Comrades Marathon 2009 results". Runner.co.za. http://www.runner.co.za/2009/05/24/comrades-marathon-2009-results/. Retrieved 2010-05-05.
- ^ Marathon deaths 'potentially preventable' by Chris Bateman (fulltext pdf)
- ^ The Comrades Marathon, Brad Morgan, 2011
- ^ Runner History: Dave Rogers
External links
- Comrades Marathon Association
- Comrades tables
- Detailed profile of the 2009 Comrades route (PDF)
- Movie concerning comrade's marathon
- The Comrades marathon, by Brad Morgan
- A runner's account of the 2007 Comrades, by Amby Burfoot
See also
Categories:- Lists of sportspeople
- Athletics in South Africa
- Ultramarathons
- Recurring sporting events established in 1921
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