Yesterday, the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) announced that the male and female winners of the June 11 race will each receive R500,000 in prize money, which will double if they break the record. The race will start at Pietermaritzburg City Hall and finish 12 hours later at Hollywoodbets Kingsmead Cricket Stadium in Durban.

The CMA has increased the total prize purse to R4.31 million, a 90% increase from last year’s R2.27 million, and has nearly doubled the first prize money from R260,000 to R500,000. Second and third place will also receive increased prize money of R250,000 and R180,000, respectively.

In addition to the cash prizes, the first South African and first KwaZulu-Natal athlete to cross the finish line will receive R200,000 and R60,000, respectively. The CMA has also set aside a R500,000 incentive for breaking the Comrades’ down run record, which is 5:18:19 for men and 5:54:43 for women. Due to ongoing roadworks in the area, this year’s race will cover a distance of approximately 88km.

The Comrades Marathon, which was held in August last year due to the pandemic, will return to its traditional June date this year. The finish at Kingsmead stadium will be the first time the race has ended there in seven years. Tete Dijana of South Africa is the defending men’s champion, while Russian athlete Alexandra Morozova holds the women’s title.

Comrades Marathon Road Running