The 2027 Comrades Marathon was launched on Wednesday, with organisers confirming various details for the 100th edition of the annual ultra-distance race in KwaZulu-Natal.
Here’s all you need to know about the race.
Where and when
The race, a down run, will be held on 13 June 2027.
It will start outside the Pietermaritzburg City Hall, and it will finish at the Kings Park Sporting Precinct in Durban.
While this is the first time the finish venue will be held at Kings Park, the venue has been used for other mass participation road running events, including the Spar Women’s Challenge and Hollywoodbets 10km races, in recent years.
Entry details
A total of 28 000 entries will be available, and if they sell out (which is expected) it will be a world record field for an ultra-marathon race.
Runners with yellow numbers (targeting 10 finishes) and green numbers (having previously finished 10 races) will have a priority entry window between 25 August and 31 August, and Comrades Marathon Association members will also get a priority window between 2-5 September. These entries will be taken on a ‘first come first served’ basis.
The first 1 000 runners who support the Amabeadibeadi charity drive, which requires a minimum donation of R10 000, will receive guaranteed entries.
Entries for remaining runners will be available via a ballot system during a window period which will be open between 9-22 September.
Prize money
A prize purse of more than R8.9 million is on offer, which is a record for a road running race in South Africa.
The men’s and women’s race winners will each earn R1 million.
Prizes will be offered for the first time to the oldest finisher, the youngest finisher and the first novice.
Other info
There are no changes to entry fees (local runners will pay R1 200) or qualifying times (entrants must run a 42km marathon under five hours).
The qualifying window will be open between 15 June 2026 and 3 May 2027.
Cut-off times along the route will be announced at a later stage.
Though the organisers have suggested the race will be around 91km in length, the official distance has not yet been confirmed.
* Featured image of Gerda Steyn by the Comrades Marathon Association
