This year's Comrades Marathon edition has been described by its association chairperson Mqondisi Ngcobo as a tool for hope for the many thousands of runners who will be taking part.
On Sunday, at 5.30am, 14,500 participants will be at the starting line at the City Hall in Pietermaritzburg for the 90km ultra-marathon. The finish for the down-run will at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban. There will be 2,000 international participants, 500 of them from the African continent.
The Comrades Marathon is entering into a new era, this will be the first race post the Covid-19 pandemic. This will also be the first race to be staged in August, which has left athletes and religious followers of the race mumbling.
Ngcobo and his colleagues have had to weather the storm that was brought by the Covid-19 period, the participants have also been impacted by the devastating effect of the pandemic.
The chair of the Comrades Marathon Association elaborated on what this year's edition means to the organisation and athletes after the hardships the Covid-19 pandemic put them through.
"We're calling it 'The Return' because it's the greatest comeback since World War II and runners are anticipating it with passion; they want to be back on the road," said Ngcobo.
"Comrades is the epitome of hope, when you look at the country, there's been three major events that affected it, the Covid-19 pandemic, lockdown restrictions and the July unrest in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. These caused a major economic crunch and loss for many people and our runners, they're not immune.
"This year there were floods in KZN, so it's all about hope, Comrades is about hope, we hope it will lift the spirits of the runners and hopefully contribute positively to the tourism and economy of the country," he said.
In terms of provincial representation, Gauteng is leading with 6,791 participants. Ngcobo commended the province for continuing to bring big numbers to the event.
"Gauteng is the major contributor to the starting field on Sunday, and that's how it had been historically. We are happy that they continue to contribute massively to the field. The second biggest province is KZN, the host," he said.
Thousands of runners braced for 'Comrades, the return'
Much anticipation for famed race after Covid, looting and floods
Image: Anesh Debiky
This year's Comrades Marathon edition has been described by its association chairperson Mqondisi Ngcobo as a tool for hope for the many thousands of runners who will be taking part.
On Sunday, at 5.30am, 14,500 participants will be at the starting line at the City Hall in Pietermaritzburg for the 90km ultra-marathon. The finish for the down-run will at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban. There will be 2,000 international participants, 500 of them from the African continent.
The Comrades Marathon is entering into a new era, this will be the first race post the Covid-19 pandemic. This will also be the first race to be staged in August, which has left athletes and religious followers of the race mumbling.
Ngcobo and his colleagues have had to weather the storm that was brought by the Covid-19 period, the participants have also been impacted by the devastating effect of the pandemic.
The chair of the Comrades Marathon Association elaborated on what this year's edition means to the organisation and athletes after the hardships the Covid-19 pandemic put them through.
"We're calling it 'The Return' because it's the greatest comeback since World War II and runners are anticipating it with passion; they want to be back on the road," said Ngcobo.
"Comrades is the epitome of hope, when you look at the country, there's been three major events that affected it, the Covid-19 pandemic, lockdown restrictions and the July unrest in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. These caused a major economic crunch and loss for many people and our runners, they're not immune.
"This year there were floods in KZN, so it's all about hope, Comrades is about hope, we hope it will lift the spirits of the runners and hopefully contribute positively to the tourism and economy of the country," he said.
In terms of provincial representation, Gauteng is leading with 6,791 participants. Ngcobo commended the province for continuing to bring big numbers to the event.
"Gauteng is the major contributor to the starting field on Sunday, and that's how it had been historically. We are happy that they continue to contribute massively to the field. The second biggest province is KZN, the host," he said.
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