Just when South African runners thought it was safe to go back onto the internet after Cape Town Marathon’s new race date announcement, the Comrades Marathon decided it was time to get their share of the social media limelight with the announcement of staggered starts for the first time in the race’s 104-year-old history.
Whilst we’ve seen a lot of improvements and a much more runner centric approach from the largely newly elected Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) Board, clear and professional communications remain a challenge. Had the press release been better written it probably would have resolved a lot of the questions and concerns flying around social media. The Board have acknowledged this and have subsequently released a FAQ: https://www.comrades.com/blog/posts/faq-comrades2025-two-starts
One of the nice things about the new Board is that they reply to questions within hours (and sometimes minutes) which is a refreshing change from the weeks and months response time of the former regime. In fact, the CMA Board now replies faster than I can write articles! Another refreshing change is that their decisions are based on sound logic, even if it is against my own personal preferences.
The staggered start change also appears to be against the preferences of the vast majority of the Comrades runners. Shortly after the announcement, I set up a Facebook poll which has 418 votes at the time of writing: 77% feel that the change is “Terrible news – I hate it”, 19% voted “Great news – I love it” and 4% clicked their mouse for what I consider to be the ‘right answer’ – that it’s “Needed in the build up to the 100th running (but please change it back for 2028)”.
Although I was not involved (and had no desire to be) in the decision making process, I was asked for my opinion prior to the change being made. My summarised input was that I would much prefer Comrades stay with the single start or have multiple starts that merge (like London Marathon) than go to a wave system. I felt that a wave start would diminish the drama of the medal cutoffs and the final cutoff. Having run the Two Oceans Ultra 19 times, I must say that I really dislike the wave system that they have implemented since Covid and feel that it diminishes from the running experience.
With 24,000 entrants in 2025, this will be the largest ever Down run*. It is also the last Down run before the 100th running and therefore the only remaining chance to ‘learn lessons’ and ‘get things right’ before the centenary event which is expected to be ‘massive’. There is talk of allowing symbolic 34,000 entrants to match the feat and feet of the 34 brave novices in 1921. According to Board member Alan Gray, who heads the Race Advisory Committee (RAC) portfolio (which is responsible for the Comrades start), “The focus of this year’s race, being the last down run before the 100th in 2027 was intended to be a template for that year.”
* The 2000 Up run had 24,552 entrants and 23,961 starters which is the largest ever. The Covid-cancelled 2020 run had just over 27,000 entrants. The previous largest number of Down entrants was 2010 (23,567) but has only the 4th highest number of starters (16,482). The highest Down starters and finishers was in 2018 with 19,047 and 16,482 respectively.
Whilst the 2027 plans are still being formulated and entry numbers are still some way from being confirmed, CMA Chair Mqondisi Ngcobo told me, “2025 is part of our Vision 2027. As part of Vision 2027, we have established an ad hoc committee chaired by Board member Rory Steyn to look into these and other issues, including but not limited to numbers for 2027. Most of these decisions will depend on issues such as infrastructure out of Pietermaritzburg, etc. With regards to 2027 numbers, no decision has been taken yet. We will communicate this once all our structures have exhausted all internal and external discussions.”
The primary reason for the change is runner safety. Gray confirmed that, “Safety is our main concern hence the changed start.” CMA Vice Chair Mark Leathers elaborated, “The primary reason behind the change is safety. Never in history have so many started a down run and the roads out of Pietermaritzburg until at least the bottom of Polly Shortts create a massive safety risk were all to be on the road at once. This 15 minute gap will significantly thin the field over the first 15 km or so especially, making it a far safer and more pleasant experience for the runners.”
A further benefit is that this will reduce the time to cross the start line for those at the back of field, who would otherwise expect to take somewhere between 10 and 15 minutes to officially get their race going. As these are the slowest runners (and therefore under the most time pressure), this change could be significant.
Comrades is timed ‘gun to gun’ and there are always a few sporadic queries as to why Comrades does not change to ‘mat to mat timing like at the World Marathon Majors (WMMs).’ The big difference is that the WMMs do not have different medals for different finish times. Comrades is a race rich in tradition and history and the different medals provide a great incentive and sense of achievement for the entire field.
Another big surprise was that the first wave would start at 5:45am and the second wave at 6am instead of the 5:30am start time which has been used since the final cutoff was extended to 12 hours. One of the excuses provided by disgraced former race director Rowyn James after the cutoff debacle in 2023 was that there was ‘pressure to open the roads again’. This was clearly a ruse.
Gray explained that the later start would allow for front runners to hit Polly Shortts as the sun is rising thereby further addressing safety concerns by avoiding running this section in notoriously dark and dingy conditions. The last down run I ran in 2018 had temporary lighting erected but with the early race congestion, you still could not see the road and I know of several runners whose race ended before the sun rose.
The logical next question is, “What about the Vic Clapham medallists who will have to finish in the dark?” Gray responded, “We have this covered with Alain [Dalais, Comrades General Manager] speaking to various departments and additional lighting over and above street lighting providing enough light to make things safe.” Dalais is working with the City of eThekwini to ensure that there are working street lights from Westville to the finish. Leathers added, “Lighting in Durban is also a lot better over the last 10 km or so coupled with what Alan has set out above, the wider roads and better streetlights make it a worthwhile trade-off versus navigating Polly Shortts in the dark.”
As for why having separate starts that merge was not an option, Gray said, “This was discussed extensively and the agreement within the RAC was a separate start with two groups converging +/- 2.7kms down the road would still pose a safety issue as the groups converge.”
One of the big questions asked on social media was, “What about the cutoffs?” Based on the 2023 Comrades cutoff debacle and Two Oceans following suit with their own cutoff mess in 2024, cutoffs are top of mind for many runners. Here there is some excellent news, Norrie Williamson, by far the most internationally experienced technical official in South Africa, is responsible for ensuring that no Comrades are denied their medal by in-race cutoffs in 2025. Essentially the in-race cutoffs will be set such that if you are not able to make a cutoff it will be impossible to get to the finish line in 12 hours*.
* I will of course double check this once the official cutoffs are published but Norrie and I have already been chatting.
For now Gray said that only the halfway cutoff at Drummond is confirmed at 12:30pm (6h30 after the second wave gets going) and that the others would be confirmed after the official course measurement was conducted (scheduled for 21 – 23 March).
Perhaps the most ambiguous statement on the press release was that, “Previous seeding will not be relevant…” Some interpreted this as being that there will no longer be batches. This is not the case, it’s still a case of ‘the faster you qualify the better your seeding’. However, the previous batch thresholds no longer apply and will be dynamically determined to balance the number of runners in each batch, “When all entries are in and qualifying times known, positions will be accorded to runners in each starting group. Seeded and contenders for prizes will be placed at the start of the A, this will be followed by B, C, D, etc.”
So if you qualify with a 4:59:59 you will be at the back of the B wave and if you’ve run a sub-3 marathon, you’ll be just behind the elites in A. For those wanting to game the system, I can tell you that the average qualification time for Comrades 2024 was 4:01:09 and the median was 4:02:59.
Since introducing wave starts, Two Oceans has been a mess with their medals and finish line proceedings*; How are Comrades going to make sure that people get the right medal and that those who finish over 12 hours don’t surreptitiously add an undeserved medal to their collection?
* The wave starts at Two Oceans do however mean that there is little difference between ones gun and mat time and there are a minority of runners who love the wave start system.
Gray explained, “Our plan is to have two chutes that will be for A start finishers and B start finishers. Runners will be directed to their respective finishing chute and proceed through the 50m ‘NO GO’ zone where only finishers and special dignitaries will be permitted. Once through the ‘NO GO’ zone they will collect their medals. Medals will be handed out based on finishing time and type of medal earned. At 17.45 the race will be over for those who started at 05.45 and at 18.00 the CMA chair will fire the gun to end the race for the 6 am starters.”
In addition, race bibs will have a clear border indicating whether someone started in A or B wave. This is a much simpler and more effective solution than at Two Oceans who have 13 waves spaced 2 minutes apart. I think that this is a good compromise and we’ll still see the final cutoff drama as 99% of the last minute finishers will come from the runners in the B wave.
I am not 100% sold on the change but I am most of the way there. I will be very interested to hear after the race from those who finish in the last 30 minutes in 2025 as to whether the staggered start is a better or worse overall running experience. The new Board has promised a more runner centric experience and this is the first time they have been truly tested on that objective.
The plan looks good on paper but the true test will be on 8 June, a short while after sunset, as thousands of heroic Comrades runners stream into Durban. The alternative would be reducing the number of entries to between 15,000 and 20,000 on the Down run and denying several thousand aspirant Comrades the chance of earning a lifetime achievement and a life changing experience on the road between Pietermaritzburg and Durban.
Follow Running Mann:
The start “needs” to happen at City hall, so the limitations are built in.
They are clearly test driving an alternate option for the expected larger 2027 field with a two batch strategy. This is a good thing, it has to work really well as the increased numbers will add complexity when they happen.
I’d like to think that trying the separate start routes and merge option would have been the better one to try for the 2025 down run, as the two batch could have been tried in an up run 2026.
You then have both options to compare.
Comrades Marathon organisers and US the runners can’t have it both ways. The marathon organisers want the maximum number of entrants and runners want things to stay the same. It won’t happen, something has to give! Cap the entries or change the start protocol.
So what happens to the Charity entrants? Where will they fit in? What will the point of Charity entries be if they are also sent according to their qualifying times? It will completely collapse the charity drive going forward
Hi Lesley, I checked and this will be included in the FAQ comrades are releasing. Here is the answer, “those runners will get the limelight as they lead of at the start of the 2nd group at 6am.”
Something that seldom gets mentioned is that the multiple wave/batch start system at Two Oceans (TOM) is enforced by the City of Cape Town’s health and safety as well as traffic officials, and similar batch starts have been introduced at most of the bigger races in and around Cape Town, e.g. RUN YOUR CITY, Gun Run, SPAR Women’s, Peninsula Half, etc.
I therefore think that the TOM organisers deserve some credit for the way they have experimented, innovated and tested ways to navigate a tricky situation, in terms of the various medal cut-offs and final cut-off at the finish line. In other words, in this case I don’t think it is fair to just say their finish line and medal allocation process is a mess. They’ve been forced to make the best of a challenging situation.
Returning to Comrades, and I am waiting to see how many of the seeded batches will start in the first wave, e.g. will be elites, A, B and C, with D, E,F, G,H in he second wave? I would think the organisers would be aiming for a 50-50 split of the total field, but even a 40-60 split would alleviate things at the start for the backmarkers.
Runners need to focus on their training. This is a distraction but unlikely to be the cause of people not finishing their race. Change is expected, esp with 2027 looming. It’ll be good to watch from the sidelines – but I don’t see this as something to cause anxiety.
Sounds like they want balanced batches, so A to D and E to H
Anyone outside their batch get no official time and banned for life?
When you go over 20000 starters, the staggered start is not the only problem. It means also 20000 people need to go to PMB.
With the number mentioned for 2027, it will be a no no to run. With 30000 people, you will never reach PMB in time.
In 2022, the run was in August and one argument was the safety for runners and volunteers because of the longer light during the day. So to start 30 minutes later in June sounds strange.
One simple thing to get better flow on the route is to stop with buses. They block the road and prevent a natural flow of the runners. Everybody has a GPS watch and can keep their required pace.
A Communication 101 PR Disaster. By Monday more harm than good will be done. Once again Runners aren’t consulted nor taken into confidence. If one uses the 2000 starters % of 97.6% to project for 2027, if its 34K, starters will be over 33K. However the economic situation in 2000 is very different from 2027 (One hopes the road works will be completed by then).
Ironically the Covid cancelled event would have been ideal. 2010 then shows that nostalgia doesn’t result in actual starters being higher (70%) – Again the economic situation was better. Using 2010 %, it gives under 24K starters. Highest Down run starters of 2018 was 86.5% gives starters of 29 500.
Scenario planning would then indicate potential starters in 2027 as follows
1. Maximum – 34 000
2. High Road – 33 000
3. Middle Road – 29 500
4. Low Road – 24 000
Will the 2 Chutes in 2025 solve the above scenarios if Starters are as follows:
1. Like 2022 of 80% 19 200 – Highly unlikely as there’s min 5 000 runners not factored. Though this can be refined further.
2. 2023 % of Starters was 75.7% which would imply 18 000
3. 2024 % of Starters was 82% which would imply 19 700
May not achieve though it will give an idea. I would think investing in lighting for the distance to Polly Shortts maybe flood lights would be ideal as the crux js mainly the start when it’s dark.
To then change the start time from 530 to 545 for Elites who as of 2024 were 130 seems misplaced given the bulk of Runners are back field.
Using 2024 Results distribution in absolute numbers Implies an Even split of A to D in 1st Chute and E to H in the 2nd chute. Too much Admin never mind creating the same vibes at the start and then having to wait for 15 minutes to get going.
Just like August 2022 change which didn’t work out well, we will adjust regardless of our disapproval.
So will there be two batch of winners, no.1 from batch 1 and another no.1 from batch 2 ? If not, how is this staggered start fair to all athletes? Why are we paying the same price then? Why was the plan not communicated before entries open? They run this organisation like an unregistered Spaza Shop now!!
I can’t say I’m happy. Why start 15 mimutes later and face higher temperatures at the end? And why change the batches now when so much effort goes into getting a good seeding? If this was done in October before entries opened, fine. Middle March, not great.
My concern goes wider- to the finish: the standard finish goes anti-clockwise around the stadium, thereby encircling the finishers and forcing everyone to climb the two scaffolding stairways, clashing with the supporters wanting to get onto the field to meet their athletes. If the finish goes clockwise around the stadium, it opens up half the stadium for exit/entry without crossing the race track. Much less congestion?
In the bigger scheme of things of safety concerns etc., this may be quite trivial, but I’m wondering how the traditional playing of “Chariots of fire” and Max Trimborn’s cock crow will be dealt with? I feel sad that many of the traditional things that make Comrades unique, will not feel the same as before.
I am one of the back runners, started 18 races, 10 medals,finished 14 and over halfway every time. I believe this suggestion may work. An average in time difference is taken over the last 10 years for three batches at a time to start together- so a b c go then another gun start for d e f maybe 2 minutes later, or two batches at a time BUT all are subject to normal cut- off times and end of race gun. This way ones hard work for seeding is not lost- minor changes and minimal over crowding I’m 63 yrs old now and LOVE the race with my son and I only managing to start one together- I’d LOVE to go again with more safety in line- less pressure including BUS blockage in the beginning.
I
I have completed 2 down runs around 12 hours. The last 4 kms is crazy and very chaotic at 17:00pm – 17:30pm. Civilians crossing the roads infront of runners as the sun sets on a busy city day and the runners chasing to the finish line through the chaos. I hope they’ll be able to manage that part in the dark at 18:00pm. 😔
I simply don’t think a staggered start is the right way to go! It changes the WHOLE CHARACTER of Comrades and brakes what is unique about this race! Give it a year after ’27 and the race will be down below 10k runners!
Asplit start will addres the safety issue and keep the uniqueness of Comrades! The issue of when the two groups merge, is simply not correct! After 3km, the same pace runners have sorted themselves and the merge will be smooth. Also, the merge can be barriered to form a “slipway” like a hi-way on/off ramp.
A split start will remove the difficulty of the end and keep the traditions intact!
This staggered start thing will brake Comrades! Don’t do it PLEASE!
They haven’t mentioned how ultra qualifiers will be adapted for the seeding batches. Also no mention of an option to start in second batch without penalty prior to race day. Many top athletes run with a spouse, friend or family. We used to have the option to start in lower batches. A big part of the excitement is starting with your friends and loved ones. It won’t be the same, please give us the option after seeding to change backwards without 15 mins penalty.
When I asked both of those questions I was told that runners would be able to downgrade to the later start and that the ultra distances would be converted to an equivalent marathon time to seedings (I offered to them them use the equation I use to adjust and convert ultras to a standard marathon time when I do the stats).