Elite Comrades Marathon athletes raring to go

The stage is set for the 99th edition of the Comrades Marathon on Sunday, with more than 21 000 runners expected to tackle the gruelling 89km up-run from Durban to Pietermaritzburg.

The iconic race will finish at Hollywoodbets Scottsville Racecourse, where South Africa’s finest ultra-distance athletes, alongside a strong international contingent, will battle for glory in what promises to be one of the most competitive Comrades Marathons in recent years.

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As usual, many of the favourites come from powerhouse clubs such as Hollywood Athletics Club, Nedbank Running Club, and Maxed Elite Running Club, who continue to dominate the local road-running scene.

Hollywood Athletics Club, popularly known as the Purple Team, once again boasts the largest contingent in the race, with well over 1 000 entrants.

The club’s elite runners prepared through a series of training camps in Dullstroom, the Drakensberg, Klerksdorp and George.

Maxed Elite Running Club opted for a different approach, holding a single high-altitude training camp in Lesotho.

Club manager Martin Ngwenya believes the strategy will pay dividends.

We always stage our annual Comrades Marathon training camp in Lesotho. Having one centralised camp allows coaches to focus on all athletes in the same environment.

“We strongly believe our runners are fit, prepared and ready for a tough battle on Sunday,” said Ngwenya.

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The club’s formidable line-up includes Teboho Sello, Joseph Manyedi, Charles Tjiane, Edwin Khonkhobe, Ayanda Ngcobo, Brian Ontieri, Lebenya Nkoka and Jobo Khatoane.

The Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) has described this year’s elite field as one of the strongest in recent memory, with nearly all of the top 10 men and women from the 2025 race returning.

Defending men’s champion Tete Dijana will be chasing a fourth Comrades title and his first up-run victory.

The three-time winner faces stiff opposition from Dutch rival Piet Wiersma, winner of the 2024 up-run, as well as former champions Bongmusa Mthembu, Edward Mothibi and David Gatebe.

Other leading contenders include 2025 fifth-place finisher Joseph Manyedi, former world-class middle-distance runner George Kusche, Onalenna Khonkhobe, and current World 100km champion Aleksandr Sorokin of Russia, who will make his Comrades debut.

In the women’s race, all eyes will once again be on Gerda Steyn.

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The four-time champion returned to Pietermaritzburg brimming with confidence after claiming a seventh consecutive Two Oceans Marathon title earlier this year.

Steyn is aiming for a fifth Comrades victory, a feat achieved by only a handful of legends in the race’s storied history.

Her biggest challengers are expected to come from a strong international and local field eager to end her remarkable winning streak.

Until Fordyce (nine) and Nurgalieva (eight) set their records for the most wins, five wins was considered a legendary feat at the Comrades Marathon, and Steyn richly deserves to be included in that conversation, alongside legends such as Arthur Newton and Wally Hayward.

Race director Sue Forge believes spectators are in for a thrilling contest.

All the signs are that this should be another exciting race. We have proven gold medallists, outstanding marathoners and world-class ultra-distance runners from South Africa and abroad.

“We are looking forward to seeing who claims the podium places,” said Forge.

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The stakes have never been higher, with a record prize purse of R8,21 million on offer, including R925 000 each for the men’s and women’s winners.

With history, prestige and substantial prize money on the line, Sunday’s race is expected to deliver another memorable chapter in the story of the Ultimate Human Race.