On Thursday, the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) announced an historic change for its 2025 race, with the introduction of two race starts.
RELATED | Comrades Marathon Association appoints new General Manager
The CMA claimed that the change aims to enhance the race experience for all participants in the world’s biggest, oldest and most famous ultramarathon; and ensure a smoother, safer, more efficient event.
For the first time in the 104-year history of The Ultimate Human Race, there will be a separate start for each of the two groups of athletes in this year’s race.
However, they will both take place at the traditional Pietermaritzburg City Hall which is the start venue of the 49th Comrades Marathon Down Run.
ALSO READ | Record prize purse for 2025 Comrades Marathon announced
To accommodate the two starts, the race will feature staggered start times, in keeping with the increasing field of participants, year on year.
The first wave of runners will begin at 05:45, followed by the second wave 15 minutes later at 06:00.
This staggered approach will help manage the flow of runners and reduce congestion on the course.
Make sense of the announcement
Predictably, runners both current and retired – and some not even Comrades ultramarathoners – were quick to air their views.
Stuart Mann, writing on his popular ‘The Running Mann’ blog, sought to make sense of the announcement …
Just when South African runners thought it was safe to go back onto the internet after the 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 promised to release a FAQ on Monday (which I will link once available).
Hopefully we can deal with all of them in this article.
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 fourth 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 15km 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 05:45 and the second wave at 06:00 instead of the 05:30 start time which has been used since the final cut-off 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 10km or so coupled with what Alain 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 +/- 2.7km 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 cut-off debacle and Two Oceans following suit with their own cut-off 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 cut-offs in 2025.
Essentially the in-race cut-offs will be set such that if you are not able to make a cut-off it will be impossible to get to the finish line in 12 hours*.
* I will of course double check this once the official cut-offs are published but Norrie and I have already been chatting.
For now Gray said that only the halfway cutoff at Drummond is confirmed at 12:30 (6:30 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 06:00 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 two 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 Sunday, 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.
Have you ever completed the Comrades Marathon?
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1
Subscribe to The South African website’s newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
