My marathons

Comrades Marathon

05:005:00 AM Durban
Durban
Durban. Photograph by ---=XEON=---, CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The course

The organiser says the 100th Comrades Marathon, on Sunday 13 June 2027, is a down run of about 91 km from the Pietermaritzburg City Hall to the Kings Park Rugby Precinct in Durban.

The course in short 2 lines
  • The centenary edition is a down runA down run of about 91 km, Pietermaritzburg to Durban.
  • A marathon qualifier and 28,000 places28,000 places; a 42.2 km qualifier by 3 May 2027.
Course notes 2 short reads on the course
Whole courseGeometryThe centenary edition is a down runA down run of about 91 km, Pietermaritzburg to Durban.

The race starts at 05:00 outside the City Hall in Pietermaritzburg.

Sourced

Whole courseCrowdA marathon qualifier and 28,000 places28,000 places; a 42.2 km qualifier by 3 May 2027.

Entry fees for 2027 are R1,200 for South African entrants, R2,000 for the rest of Africa and R4,500 for international entrants, and the fee is waived for runners who have completed 25 or more Comrades Marathons. Athletes must be at least 20 years old on the day of qualification.

Sourced

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

Race fuel for Durban

One gel every 40 minutes once you are past about 75 minutes of running, plus a spare.

Our pick: SiS BETA Fuel gel, box of 6, strawberry and lime. 40 g of carbohydrate a gel, about twice a usual gel, from two kinds of sugar your body takes up side by side.

Easy to forget on race morning: pack them with your bib the night before.

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In Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Salted Caramel, 24-pack, the best seller there.

Outside the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the UK and Ireland, Spain and Portugal, Italy, the rest of the EU and Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Chocolate Outrage, 24-pack on Amazon.com, the best seller there.

Anti-chafe
Compeed Anti-blister stick
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed anti-blister stick, 8 ml

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

An invisible layer before the start keeps seams, straps and shoes from rubbing skin raw.

Put it on before you leave for the start: heels and toes, inner thighs, under a bra or heart-rate strap.

Try it on a long run first, like everything you use on race day.

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We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Number belt
A race number belt
Illustration · drag to turn

Compressport Race Belt

Holds your bib without safety pins through your top, with loops for up to 8 gels.

Clip the bib on the night before, so it goes on with your shorts in the morning.

Keep the number on the front, where officials and photographers can see it.

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Electrolytes
A tube of electrolyte tablets
Illustration · drag to turn

SiS Hydro electrolyte tablets, tube of 20

One tablet in a bottle puts back some of the salt you sweat out.

One tablet in 500 ml of water in the hour before the start.

Only if you have used them in training: nothing new on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Blister plasters
Compeed Blister plasters, medium, 6
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed blister plasters, medium, 6

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

One in a pocket cushions a blister if one starts.

Put it on clean, dry skin and leave it until it comes off by itself.

Give a couple to whoever comes to cheer, so they are there at the km you need them.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
race
Running event

Race week

Timetable

Sunday 13 June Race day

  1. 05:005:00 AM

    Comrades Marathon start Outside the City Hall, Pietermaritzburg. The 100th edition, a down run of about 91 km to the Kings Park Rugby Precinct in Durban.

Times as published by the organiser, in Durban time, checked .

Add to calendar .ics file, times in Durban time

Trip

Getting a place

Entry through the organiser

Entry details on the organiser’s site →

The organiser, a third party. We take no entries and have no part in the race.

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