The Comrades Marathon between Durban and Pietermaritzburg is the world’s oldest and largest ultra-marathon run over a distance of 89 km (55.9 miles). The race is much more than merely a sport, it’s a tribute to the South African soldiers who lost their lives during World War One. Since 24 may 1921, the race has been run every year, except five years during the second world War. Every year the direction of the race alternates between the ‘up run’ starting from Durban and the ‘down run’ starting from Pietermaritzburg. A primary aim of the comrades Marathon is to “celebrate mankind‘s sprite over adversity”.
With the FIFA World Cup, 2010 is going to be an important year for the South African nation and the 85th comrades Marathon will be presented just a matter of days before the start of the World Cup. The Comrades Marathon on May 30th, 2010, is a downhill race, starting at Pietermaritzburg City Hall and finishing at the Sahara Kingsmead Cricket Stadium in Durban. Because of logistical problem and congestion of the route each year 20,000 athletes start running at 05.30 and finish 17.30. According to the Comrades Marathon association 2010 is a major landmark in the history of South Africa and the race is an ideal opportunity for runners and others involved to become part of the wave of excitement.
To participate in the race a requirement that is your minimum age should be 20 yrs and a qualifying time of under 5 hrs for a marathon run between 15 June 2008 and 28 April 2009 or equivalent in another ultra race. Among the 20000 runners the first 15000 entry slots have been reserved for the previous Comrades runners and another 5000 will be open for novices (Comrades first timers).
For accommodation, there are plenty of options in both cities, depending on your budget and taste.
For full details of qualifying performances and deadlines please visit the official website
www.comrades.com