As someone who had plenty to say about what went wrong at Comrades 2023, it gives me great pleasure to write an article about what’s going right at Comrades 2024.
Much of the credit for the positive changes can be attributed to newly appointed Race & Operations Manager, Ann Ashworth, who left her career as an advocate to take up the position in November 2023. Under her leadership there’s renewed energy, innovation and an attention to detail that has been lacking for many years.
The impact that Ashworth has had in just eight months has been universally appreciated with Comrades Chairperson Mqondisi Ngcobo acknowledging, “The appointment of Ann as our Race and Operations Manager has injected some positive energy and innovations that will take the event to greater heights.” Ngcobo elaborates, “These changes will place Comrades Marathon on a par with some of the world’s greatest events – and will help to attract top local and international athletes.”
READ MORE: 15 Major Concerns & Problems after Comrades 2023
Perhaps the highest praise one can receive is from the man with the most medals at Comrades, Barry Holland. Holland has seen many race directors come and go over his 49 consecutive finishes, the first of which was in 1973. As for Ashworth’s performance to date, Holland says, “Ann Ashworth has been a breath of fresh air for the CMA and the organisation of our great race. Perhaps the greatest attribute that Ann possesses is her willingness to listen. Where previously we were treated to arrogance, now there is an open approach that is so encouraging.”
If the man with the most Comrades is excited about what’s in store at Comrades 2024, so should the other 20,573 qualified entrants. Here are the some of the changes already in place as well as various improvements that Comrades 2024 runners will experience on 9 June.
Show Us The Money
Ashworth has managed to bring in an additional R12 million of corporate sponsorship in just 7 months including landing Cell C as a Tier One sponsor to substantially up the prize pool to over R4 million – making the greatest ultra marathon on the planet the richest road race in Africa.
The Cell C sponsorship also brings back the “hot spot” bonuses along the route which will add some spice for the television viewership as well as a massive R1 million available to the male and / or female runner who breaks the “fastest pace” record. With the Comrades distance changing every year and 2024 being the shortest Comrades ever this is a great innovation and opportunity for the elites.
Not only does Ashworth appear to have a knack for attracting new sponsors but she is also doing a great job keeping the current sponsors happy with their investment. According to Brandon Ehlers (Mr. Price Sport), “It has been a pleasure dealing with Ann in the build up to the 2024 Comrades Marathon. Ann has been instrumental in influencing positive changes that have been made for this year’s Comrades Marathon, which will benefit the runners and sponsors alike.” Ehlers continues, “Ann quietly goes about the task at hand without much fuss. Ann is organized, efficient and has everyone’s best interest at heart. I wish Ann and the entire Comrades team all the very best for this year’s race, it’s set up to be a spectacular one.”
Show Us Your Goodies
Whilst the prize money and incentives will only interest the bank accounts of a very small percentage of the field, everyone is interested in what’s inside their Goodie Bag at registration. Whilst I am not allowed to let the cat out of the (goodie) bag, I can tell you that this year’s swag will be much more exciting than those of previous years.
Facilities for Females
The lack of facilities for female runners, especially for those who are menstruating has been a constant gripe that has been persistently ignored for many years. This year, 25% of the toilet facilities at the start, finish and at cutoff points and medical stations along the route will be reserved for women only. In addition, sanitary products will be available at all eight of the physiotherapy stations along the route.
When the Isavel Roche-Kelly medal was introduced as a female version of the Wally Hayward “just missed Gold” medal in 2019, every elite female athlete I spoke to said, “They’ve got the time wrong.” The criteria was initially set to be from 11th position to sub-7h30 but, outside of Comrades House, there was universal agreement that this should have been 7h00. In 2024 it will be 7h00.
One further change for the elite ladies is a special ‘shielded’ start so the elite female athletes do not get pushed and trampled but the average A (B and C) men.
Start
The 2023 start line has some serious safety issues and the sound system did not work. This has all been addressed ahead of the 2024 event. A substantial investment and improvements have been made to ensure that all 20,000 starters get to experience the full emotional aural experience of a Comrades send-off – make sure you bring some tissues to the start line!
Another great move for inclusivity is for the first time allowing adaptive/wheelchair athletes at the front of the race (in addition to the pushchair athletes we’ve seen at previous Comrades). This has been a major bugbear of the QuadPara Association of South Africa and they will no doubt be pleased that self-propelled wheelchair athletes can participate at Comrades.
Comrades Chairperson, Mqondisi Ngcobo, was particularly excited about the changes runners can expect outside Durban City Hall, “Ann has introduced some glam at the start that will create an electrifying atmosphere as part of our start procedure.” Ngcobo is running his 6th Comrades this year so he also gets the benefit of personally experiencing these enhancements.
On The Route
You don’t want to carry any excess baggage up those hills on the way to Pietermaritzburg so the good news is that there’ll be more toilet facilities at the start as well as along the route. And if you need to put something back, there will also be more refreshment tables than ever before. Also keep your eyes out for the new marker and refreshment station boards which will replace some of the tired old ones.
Finish
The finish area at Hollywood Bets Scottsville Racecourse has been completely revamped and redesigned to accommodate a greater number of club tents and spectators, particularly along the finish straight. The redesigned finish area is aimed at addressing congestion, providing the friendliest possible environment for spectators whilst not compromising on safety and security measures.
The final section of the route has also been redesigned to incorporate running along Comrades Road (which was recently renamed from Connaught Road) so that participants can run past Comrades House (a good photo opportunity at the end of the race for those with a minute or two to spare).
The past couple of years have also seen the finish line timing clock being out of sync with the actual race time which ruins those classic finish line photos – it is assured that this will be fixed in 2024.
I often think that it’s the small ‘attention to detail’ measures that differentiate the good from the great. One of these is the availability of ‘dignity towels’ for those who may have pushed themselves a little too hard to make it over the finish line.
Cutoffs
The in-race cutoffs, which were continually tinkered with and made arbitrarily stricter over recent years against the advice of experts have been reset to allow for better pacing and to give all qualified Comrades entrants the best possible opportunity to earn their medal.
This year the cut offs have been reviewed three times which highlights the willingness to listen to outside voices and correct the mistakes of the past. The result is that the first half cutoffs have been made more lenient and the first cutoff in Pinetown completely removed which allows back-of-the-pack athletes to conserve energy over the big climbs in the first half so that they can take advantage of the easier second half. In addition, the final cutoff at the top of Polly Shortts has been extended by 10 minutes which will ensure that we have a full finish straight before the 12 hour final medal cutoff. You’ll definitely want to stick around in the stadium this year given the ‘fireworks’ Ashworth has planned.
One of the most outspoken critics of previous cutoffs is Norrie Williamson, a 20-time Comrades runner, Technical Official and coach. Williamson has nothing but praise for the role Ashworth has played in driving progressive and positive change, “Although she needs congratulated for introducing some innovations, perhaps Ann’s greatest achievement is convincing the committees and structures to listen to runners and outsiders. One of the greatest examples relates to the cut off times. People had warned of incorrect cut off times since 2016, but these have been ignored and even errors denied and defended. This year runners have seen a totally different, and welcome, approach from the Board. There appears to be a willingness not only to listen, but also acknowledgment that people do make mistakes, but they can be corrected. This is a major change which if taken forward will serve the race well.”
Elite Athletes
This year sees a reintroduction of the ‘elite’ seeding for Gold medal contenders and it’s the first year that the standards for elite seeding qualification have been published and applied. Elite athletes can look forward to a more comfortable pre-race experience and warmup facilities within the Royal Hotel where a light breakfast will be provided as well as the introduction of an elite athlete togbag service, facilitated by Biddulphs.
Along the route there will be 8 elite water tables (sponsored by new Tier One partner Thirsti) which levels the playing fields for international athletes who were not previously able to get nutritional support along the route without running in the colours of one of the elite South African clubs.
Those watching on TV or running up front will also notice the reintroduction of lead cyclists to accompany the top three male and female athletes as well as those leading in their age-categories. And for those that do manage to finish in the top 3 positions, they can bask in the glory of the reintroduced Winners Circle (also sponsored by Thirsti) where athletes will be able to enjoy VIP hospitality and make use of post-race shower and ablution facilities before heading up to the prizegiving stage.
Environmental
The adoption of policies and partnerships geared towards ensuring that all plastic water sachets distributed during the Comrades Marathon are collected and recycled into products benefiting local communities.
On top of this, runners plagued by bailer busses and other vehicles on route in 2023 will be pleased to note that there will be a major reduction in the number of vehicles on route and the timing cars will be focussed on using hybrid / electric models.
Zero Tolerance for Cheating
In the past lip service has been given to various forms of cheating that a small number of Comrades entrants, many of them repeat offenders, exploit to cheat their way to a medal or the start line. Ashworth has taken a hard line on cheating to ensure that every Comrades medal is properly earned. This has resulted in former participants and current entrants that are found guilty of cheating being removed from the 2024 start list and barred from competing in future Comrades Marathons.
READ MORE: Defective Humans (Uncovering cheats at Comrades)
Behind the Scenes
The last few weeks before race day are high pressure and late May / early June is also the period where flu outbreaks are most common. Whilst most Comrades runners take as many precautions as possible and try to quarantine themselves from the sick and the coughing, keeping fighting fit and healthy is just as important for the Comrades team who cannot risk being sick during the organisational crunch period. This year Ashworth bought vitamin booster supplements for all the staff to ensure that their immune systems have the maximum protection from the winter bugs.
Braam Zaayman, who is responsible for the race route and has been a volunteer at Comrades for 23 years (in addition to 6 finishes), gives Ann the credit for his continued involvement at Comrades after the 2023 issues. On Ashworth’s leadership, Zaayman says, “She’s led from the front and is not afraid to get her hands dirty and help with whatever needs to be done. She tries to be at every meeting and recce on the route to familiarise herself with what is happening in each portfolio.”
Another team member who preferred to remain anonymous said, “The first day I met Ann, I saw her vision and I knew that she would give her all to deliver an incredible Comrades 2024. Ann wants better for the runners and to give them the ultimate experience from start to finish. She has listened to advice, she has listened to the runners and she has listened to her team. Her work ethic is impeccable, she has a drive of note and an amazing personality. She knows what she wants and she knows what it takes to make it a success.”
There are many areas of Pietermaritzburg that could use a “fresh coat of paint” and if you visited Comrades House last year you might have made the same remark. Over the December holidays, Ashworth and her husband David donned their old running gear and got out their paint brushes to transform the sad looking interior into a much warmer and welcoming environment. In addition, the Green Number room was also given a facelift worthy of the achievement that it represents – and there is now a ‘wall of fame’ where all runners with 30 or more finishes are acknowledged with their names on the wall.
After a marshalling error at the Wally Hayward Marathon, the last qualifier in Gauteng, particpants ended up running an additional 3km. Despite having spent the entire morning on the Comrades route doing route markings, on learning of the issue, Ashworth contacted the Wally race director and quickly worked out an effective and equitable solution for Comrades entrants who still needed a qualifier.
And don’t expect to see Ann Ashworth parading around the finish line* in a blazer. She’ll be too busy getting her hands dirty behind the scenes and making sure that everything is running smoothly.
* With one possible exception around the 6 hour mark when her husband David is expected to finish.
Other Innovations
The 2024 event saw the introduction of a limited edition finishers jacket available for purchase which has proved to be a very popular item – and no doubt we’ll be seeing many runners proudly displaying their street cred all around KZN on the 10th of June.
Another innovation is to start to use more than the traditional print medium to communicate pre-race instructions. This year sees the customary final race instructions complimented with an audio-visual guide available in English and isiZulu (with more languages to be added in future years if this change proves successful).
The CMA has also started to publish “push” notifications and important announcements through the Comrades App and, for the first time, has also been communicating important race information via WhatsApp.
Norrie Williamson also commended Ashworth on the improved communication and focus on safety, “Another very welcome achievement is the greater focus on information that is truly relevant to runners and supporters, such as concerns over the roadworks at 9km, maps and instructions for arriving at start and finish, and video final instructions. This clearly identifies how Ann prioritizes runners’ race day concerns, something that was sadly missing by communications in previous years.”
Getting the Balance Right
One of the challenges with a race like Comrades is balancing the needs and demands of elite athletes with those of recreational runners (who make up most of the field). As a former recreational runner turned elite runner (and winner of the 2018 race) Ashworth seems to have found the balance of satisfying both camps. Ann and David Ashworth also have a coaching business* and there is no doubt that this also keeps Ashworth in touch with the changing needs and requirements of ultra runners at all levels of competitiveness.
* It is worth noting that whilst nearly all running coaches advocate pacing for a negative split at Comrades, Ann Ashworth is the only coach I know of who has actually been able to achieve the feat.
It’s important to note that the Comrades Board as well as the salaried staff within the CMA remains unchanged from 2023 with one exception, Ann Ashworth. The jury is still out as to whether one man can change Comrades but, after giving the gavel to the former advocate, it’s case closed as to the impact one woman can have on the world’s greatest ultra marathon.
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Ah, thanks so much for all the running news and information we might not be in South Africa but we still love to hear what is happening back home.
Very heartening article. I would like to wish all the participants and helpers along the route a great Comrades experience and good weather conditions.
Comrades is an Institution to be proud of and thank you Ann for sacrificing your professional career for the love of the sport.May CMA go from strength to strength under the guidance of Ann Ashworth. For the runner by a runner💐