The Comrades Marathon is an ultramarathon of about 88 kilometres run annually in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province between Durban and Pietermaritzburg, with the direction alternating each year between the up run starting in Durban and the down run starting in Pietermaritzburg. First held on 24 May 1921, it was conceived by World War I veteran Vic Clapham to honour fallen soldiers and is described as the world's largest and oldest ultramarathon race. The route is defined by five major hills known as the Big Five, runners have 12 hours to finish, and past winners include Arthur Newton, Wally Hayward and Bruce Fordyce.
Facts
Founding Year Frequency
Frequency (category) Connections
Competitors Include
Source Ann Trason (Wikipedia)
Source Arthur F. H. Newton (Wikipedia)
Source Bongmusa Mthembu (Wikipedia)
Source Bruce Fordyce (Wikipedia)
Source Camille Herron (Wikipedia)
Source Caroline Wöstmann (Wikipedia)
Source Charné Bosman (Wikipedia)
Source Elena Nurgalieva (Wikipedia)
Source Ellie Greenwood (Wikipedia)
Source Frith van der Merwe (Wikipedia)
Source Gerda Steyn (Wikipedia)
Source Hoseah Tjale (Wikipedia)
Source Jackie Mekler (Wikipedia)
Source Jonas Buud (Wikipedia)
Source Kami Semick (Wikipedia)
Source Leonid Shvetsov (Wikipedia)
Source Mavis Hutchison (Wikipedia)
Source Olesya Nurgalieva (Wikipedia)
Source Stephen Muzhingi (Wikipedia)
Source Wally Hayward (Wikipedia)
Source Zeb Luhabe (Wikipedia)
Features
Source Comrades Marathon (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Took Place In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject took place.
Source Comrades Marathon (Wikipedia)LeadQuote, Lead
run annually in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa
Sources
1. Comrades Marathon (Wikipedia)
History
first held on 24 May 1921
Lead
run annually in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa
Lead, format
is an ultramarathon of approximately 88 kilometres
Lead, scope
It is the world's largest and oldest ultramarathon race
View the SourceAnn Trason (Wikipedia)
Competitors Include: Ann Trason, LeadQuote, Competitors Include: Ann Trason, Lead
winning the Western States 100 just 12 days after winning the 56-mile Comrades Marathon in South Africa
Bruce Fordyce (Wikipedia)
Competitors Include: Bruce Fordyce, LeadQuote, Competitors Include: Bruce Fordyce, Lead
He is best known for having won the South African Comrades Marathon a record nine times
Camille Herron (Wikipedia)
Competitors Include: Camille Herron, LeadQuote, Competitors Include: Camille Herron, Lead
She won the women's race at both the Comrades Marathon in 2017 and the Spartathlon in 2023.
Ellie Greenwood (Wikipedia)
Competitors Include: Ellie Greenwood, LeadQuote, Competitors Include: Ellie Greenwood, Lead
Greenwood was the first British woman ever to win Comrades
Gerda Steyn (Wikipedia)
Competitors Include: Gerda Steyn, LeadQuote, Competitors Include: Gerda Steyn, Lead
She won the 2019 Comrades Marathon in a record time of 5 hours, 58 minutes, and 53 seconds
Stephen Muzhingi (Wikipedia)
Competitors Include: Stephen Muzhingi, LeadQuote, Competitors Include: Stephen Muzhingi, Lead
won the Comrades Marathon on three consecutive occasions
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.