Durban — The Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) has revealed that the official route distance for the 96th 2023 Comrades Marathon from Pietermaritzburg to Durban will be 87.701km.
On Tuesday, the association announced the Comrades Marathon route distance and cut-offs.
The official route course measurement was conducted by the CMA’s route portfolio, the Department of Transport’s Road Traffic Inspectorate and Msunduzi Traffic.
After completion of the measurement, CMA race director Rowyn James has confirmed that the official race distance of this year’s Comrades Marathon down-run will be nearly 2.2km shorter than last year’s 89.885km down-run.
James said that it is worth noting that the last time the race finished at the Hollywoodbets Kingsmead Cricket Stadium in 2016, the race distance was 89.208km; the same year in which David Gatebe set the current best down-run time of 5:18:19.
Additionally, when Frith van der Merwe set the still-standing ladies' best down-run time of 5:54:43 in 1989, also at the Kingsmead Cricket Stadium, the distance was 89.6km. The difference in distances over the years is mainly due to the roadworks and varying routes taken on the run out of Pietermaritzburg.
James also confirmed the cut-offs for this year’s race.
He said there are five cut-off points along the route.
James advised runners to make their way to the start of the race early.
“Due to the ongoing N3 roadworks, we ask that all of our athletes make their way to the Pietermaritzburg City Hall early to avoid the traffic congestion and potentially miss the start of the race,” James said.
The 96th Comrades Marathon will be run on Sunday, June 11, 2023, starting at the Pietermaritzburg City Hall at 5.30am and ending 12 hours later at the Hollywoodbets Kingsmead Cricket Stadium in Durban. The distance will be 87.7km. This will be the 48th Comrades down-run.
Meanwhile, over the weekend, the association announced that the 2023 Comrades Marathon prize money has increased.
It said that in line with CMA’s commitment and promise to runners and the media to restore the prize money to the levels before the Covid-19 pandemic struck, the CMA is pleased to announce that this year’s prize purse will be a substantial R4.31 million, effectively a 90% increase on last year’s R2.27 million.
The association said that if the winner in either the men’s or women’s races in this year’s Comrades Marathon breaks the down-run best times of David Gatebe (2016 – 5:18:19) or Frith van der Merwe (1989 – 5:54:43) respectively, he or she will take home a minimum of R1 million in Comrades prize money, comprising of a first prize of R500 000 plus a R500 000 incentive for breaking the best time. In addition to these prizes, the first South African and first KZN athlete will each receive R200 000 and R60 000, respectively.
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