The Comrades Marathon Association has closed entries for the 2020 ultra-marathon after reaching the South African cap of 25‚000‚ just three days after the entry opened.

At one point on Tuesday the entry website was doing 36 entries a second‚ race director Rowyn James said.

“We have seen an unprecedented demand for entry into the Comrades Marathon. The rapid uptake of entries by our South African athletes has been phenomenal‚”James said in a statement.

He advised runners that no further online or walk-in entries from local athletes would be accepted and stated that the Comrades Marathon bank account had been temporarily frozen so as not to accept any further bank deposits or EFTs.

James also confirmed that entries postmarked Wednesday‚ October 30 would be accepted.