Durban – The Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) has announced the cut-off times for the 97th Comrades Marathon taking place on June 9.
Since this year’s edition of the marathon is an up run which will start at the Durban City Hall at 5.30am, CMA race and operations manager Ann Ashworth has factored in a 5-minute increase in the first cut-off in Pinetown.
“This is to account for the time taken for athletes at the back to cross the start line and having regard to the ongoing roadworks at Sherwood which may cause delays in the first 8km. The 5-minute time increase will also assist runners in pacing the first half of the race more consistently by reducing any pressure to start too fast. In addition, the Umlaas Road cut-off is at a new location closer to Pietermaritzburg, also due to ongoing roadworks, and the cut-off time has been adjusted accordingly,” Ashworth said.
The rest of the cut-offs are unchanged from 2017 and 2019.
Athletes will have 50 minutes to complete the race from the top of Polly Shortts, a distance of 6.84km.
This Comrades Marathon will be the 49th up run which will end at the Hollywoodbets Scottsville Racecourse in Pietermaritzburg, covering a distance of 85.91km.
Last month the CMA revealed that the official route of this year’s marathon would be 85.91km long, making it the shortest in Comrades Marathon history.
The race is nearly 820m shorter than the last up run in 2019.
Five years ago when the race finished at the Hollywoodbets Scottsville Racecourse, the race distance was 86.73km.
This year the race has had to accommodate ongoing roadworks at the Umlaas Road interchange and will follow a route through the suburbs of Cleland and Pelham, similar to that used in 2013 and 2015.
“From the top of Polly Shortts, runners will continue along the R103 / CB Downes Road, past the previous right-hand turn into Murray Road used in 2017 and 2019; and continue into Washington Road bordering the sports fields of the University of KwaZulu-Natal,” said Ashworth, describing the last 7km of the 2024 race route.
“With approximately 3km to go, runners will turn right into Oribi Road and head towards the Scottsville Racecourse along King Edward Avenue. The race’s iconic Toyota Mile will start at the intersection of King Edward Avenue and Alan Paton Drive where runners will turn left and then right into Connaught Road, passing Comrades Marathon House within the last kilometre of the race. The entrance to this year’s finish straight will be off Surrey Road, with the result that runners will no longer need to pass through the tunnel beneath the Scottsville Racetrack.”
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