Get your coaching accreditation from a convicted rapist (brought to you by Athletics Free State)

Steven Swarts was convicted of raping one of his female athletes while giving her a “deep tissue massage”. The incident occurred in 2018 and the female athlete was 21 at the time.

At his trial Swarts pled guilty to rape and sexual assault. He signed his conviction papers on 5 March 2020 but was able to escape jail time with the Bloemfontein Court sentencing him, “In terms of section 276 (1) (b) of act 51 of 1977 as amended, the accused is sentenced to 5 years imprisonment, which imprisonment is suspended for a period of 5 years on condition that the accused is not during the time of suspension convicted of contravention of section 3 of the Criminal Law Amendment act 32 of 2007 (sexual offences and related matters).”

20th June 202620th June 2026

Getting Fresh with Luc Quevauvilliers on the Comrades Route

I (quite literally) caught up with Luc Quevauvilliers, the “man in a can”, along the Comrades route. I’d written about Luc’s exploits after the 2025 event where he ran large sections of the Comrades route dressed up in a Rexona deodorant fancy dress outfit. This year Luc was in for the full canned hunting experience and ran the entire race in his remodelled Rexona outfit with trimmings and improvements for comfort and durability.

When I spoke to him afterwards he proudly told me, “Yes, I ran 100% of this year’s race in the Rexona outfit!” I didn’t want to open a can of worms and ask about toilet breaks but Luc happily volunteered, “Even when I peed, I was happy to realise I just could aim carefully and make sure I kept the outfit smelling good.”

12th June 202612th June 2026

For over 50 years there’s been just one constant at the Comrades start line: Dave Williams

Many tears are shed during an ultra marathon. Many tears are shed after an ultra marathon. However, Comrades is the only race that is able to open the waterworks before the starting gun even fires.

Dave Williams has been there to hear it all. From Max Trimborn’s iconic rooster crow (including the last time he performed it live in 1980) to the introduction of Chariots of Fire in 1985 to the addition of the National Anthem as democracy dawned in 1994 to the spontaneous eruption of Shosholoza the following year.

On June 14 we’ll get to hear Max Trimborn’s recorded rooster crow, the emotional strings of Chariots of Fire, the pride of Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika and the rousing chorus of Shosholoza. A lot of things have been added to the Comrades start over the years but one thing will be missing from the Comrades start line for the first time in over 50 years… Dave Williams.

Dave Williams has used his Comrades runs to raise money for the Community Chest.

12th June 202612th June 2026

The True Full List of Comrades 2026 Contenders

This is a guest blog by award winning Swedish journalist Daniel Westergren. The article has been translated from Swedish. The original article can be found here: https://ultramarathon.se/artiklar/comrades-2026-starkaste-faeltet-nagonsin

2026 Comrades Marathon Preview

The world’s oldest and largest ultramarathon, the Comrades Marathon in South Africa, takes place for the 99th time on Sunday. The men’s field is the best ever, with 7 of the 10 fastest 100 km runners of all time up against all the best South Africans.

The first edition of the Comrades Marathon was held in 1921. Thirty-four men ran from Pietermaritzburg to Durban, in memory of the soldiers who served in the First World War. In 1923 the first woman, Frances Hayward, took part, and in 1935 the first Black runner, Robert Mtshali. But neither of their times was recorded, as the race was open only to white men. It was not until 1975 that both women and runners of colour were welcomed.

11th June 202611th June 2026

Chasing the Gun: The Ultimate Human Race Just Got the Ultimate Broadcast

Clear your calendar on Sunday 14 June, the greatest ultra marathon on the planet is about to get the greatest live coverage – and it’s all available completely free worldwide on YouTube. You might have struggled to stay awake during the Avatar sequels but you’ll be riveted to the screen on the best Sunday of the year with 14 hours of uninterrupted Comrades coverage.

YouTube Live Direct Link: https://www.youtube.com/live/tYkUELS-Fps

9th June 202610th June 2026

It’s 100% my wife’s fault! (How I fell for the ‘One in your Green Number’ scam)

I am a well-trained husband. It’s taken the better part of 20 years but I am now mostly domesticated and largely housebroken.

My wife Kathy ran the 2007 Down run. I seconded her that year. It was hard work and a stressful job. She got out of running the 2008 Up run (just before doing her long run I should add) by falling pregnant. Kathy ran several more marathons and Two Oceans ultras but never felt the urge to return to Comrades.

Kathy ran the 2007 Down run with her father Clive Allen. Clive has a personal best time of 6h10 at Comrades and fell for the “one in your Green Number” scam six times.

4th June 202610th June 2026

World Marathon Meltdown: Trouble Brewing at Cape Town Marathon?

It is an open secret that relations between the Cape Town Marathon (CTM) organisers and Athletics South Africa (ASA) / Western Province Athletics (WPA) have deteriorated to the extent that lawyers need to be present at every meeting. Personally, I view a fight between CTM and ASA as a bit like watching England and Australia playing rugby – it a battle of arrogance versus ineptitude and the best you can do is to support the referee.

I received the following lawyer’s letter sent on behalf of ASA and WPA from a confidential source as well as the reply from David Higgs, who I understand to be CTM and Faces’ CEO Clark Gardner’s attorney. The letter is a complaint of decorum about “breach of protocol” that ASA and WPA officials were not invited to the event as is customary.

Whilst some might view it as petty, it highlights the extent to which the relationship between CTM and ASA / WPA has declined. This is the equivalent of not inviting your brother to your wedding.

3rd June 20264th June 2026

Must Loathe Rules (When run crews go delinquent)

The Streisand Effect refers to the phenomenon where an attempt to suppress, hide, or censor information ends up drawing far more attention to it instead.

The term originates from a 2003 incident involving singer and actress Barbra Streisand, who sued a photographer and website for publishing an aerial photo of her Malibu home. Before the lawsuit, the image had attracted virtually no public interest. After legal action was taken, news of the lawsuit spread widely—and so did the photo. What was meant to erase the image instead amplified it.

When I published the initial BrahGate article outing Luke “7^th placed lady” Jacobs as a bib bandit I had no knowledge as to who the Must Love Hills run crew were, any of their members or even that Luke Jacobs ran for them. In the original version of the article I made no reference to run crews at all and no names other than that of Luke Jacobs were mentioned.

1st June 202612th June 2026

Comrades 2026: Startline Stats

This article is being updated continually in the build-up to Comrades 2026. After 14 June I will start with stats on elite men and women, full field, etc. in separate articles.