In a move that should be welcomed by back-of-the-pack runners, the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) has announced a more flexible and runner-friendly approach to route cut-off times for the 98th edition of the iconic ultra-marathon, set to take place on Sunday, 8 June 2025.
For the first time, the cut-off times along the 89.98km Down Run from Pietermaritzburg to Durban have been designed to ease pressure on runners in the early stages while still upholding the 12-hour overall race limit. This means athletes will have more time to settle into a comfortable rhythm and avoid burning out too early.
Generous Early Pacing
The CMA has based the new intermediate cut-offs on a more forgiving pace strategy. Instead of enforcing a strict 8:00/km average throughout, the early checkpoints now allow for a significantly slower pace:
- To Cato Ridge (30.5km): 10:12/km pace
- To Drummond (halfway at 45km): 8:55/km pace
Comrades2024_CourtesyComradesMarathonAssociation
These changes are designed to give runners the opportunity to conserve energy early on, potentially enabling negative splits—a strategy where athletes run the second half of the race faster than the first.
From there, the pace gradually tightens, leading to the final cut-off at 12 hours:
- Winston Park (58.3km): 8:42/km
- Pinetown (69.1km): 8:48/km
- 45th Cutting (81.5km): 8:30/km
- Finish (90km): 8:00/km
Only one set of cut-offs will be used, coming into effect after the second start at 6:00am. The first group of runners will start at 5:45am, effectively gaining a 15-minute head start.
| Point on Route |
Approx Distance Done |
Race Time |
Time of Day |
Pace to Get There |
Approx. Distance to Go |
Time Remaining |
| Cato Ridge underpass |
30.5km |
5:10:00 |
11:10 |
10:12/km |
60km |
6:50:00 |
| Halfway @ Drummond |
45km |
6:40:00 |
12:40 |
8:55/km |
45km |
5:20:00 |
| Winston Park |
58.3km |
8:30:00 |
14:30 |
8:42/km |
32km |
3:30:00 |
| Pinetown underpass |
69.1km |
10:05:00 |
16:05 |
8:48/km |
21km |
1:55:00 |
| 45th Cutting crest |
81.5km |
11:30:00 |
17:30 |
8:30/km |
9km |
0:30:00 |
| Final Cut-off |
90km |
12:00:00 |
18:00 |
8:00/km |
0 |
N/A |
Note: Cut-off times come into effect after the Second Group start at 06:00. (Add 15 minutes for Group 1)
Fairness and Safety First
CMA General Manager Alain Dalais emphasized that the new system is about supporting legitimate finishers, not penalizing them early. “The goal is not to cut runners unnecessarily. As long as they are within cut-off times and capable of maintaining pace, they will be allowed to continue.”
CMA Board Member and Race Advisory Committee Chair Alan Gray echoed this: “It’s not about just beating each cut-off by a minute. You still need to be on track for an 8:00/km overall average to finish in 12 hours. But we’re giving runners more opportunity to pace themselves smartly.”
A Nod to Comrades History
Interestingly, this new approach brings the race closer to its original ethos. In the early years—like Bill Payn’s famous 1922 run—participants could stop for meals, drinks, and even a brandy, as long as they made it to the finish in time. The CMA is now echoing that spirit of endurance over speed.
Why the Change?
In recent years, the race has faced criticism for placing too much early pressure on slower runners, with many failing to finish not because they couldn’t run 89km, but because they had to overexert early just to avoid being cut. The 2025 strategy aims to change that narrative, allowing more inclusive and strategic participation.
Bottom Line: Run Smart
The CMA’s message to runners is clear: pace yourself, stay mindful of your average speed, and don’t rely solely on just scraping past each cut-off. A special Comrades webinar on 28 May will provide more advice on how to approach the race.
For anyone able to run 10km in 63 minutes or a marathon in 5 hours, this year’s Comrades is more accessible than ever. With this new focus on pacing and strategy, 2025 might just see more happy finishers crossing the line in Durban.
FAQ on Cut-offs
Q: What was the original policy on cut-offs when the Comrades Marathon was first run?
A: The first Comrades in 1921 was promoted as “go as you please,” so if you wanted to take a short break along the route for lunch, or even stop for a rest, you simply had to run faster over the next or subsequent sections in order to make finish within the original 12-hour limit. This led to the famous story of Bill Payn’s 1922 Comrades run.
Payn was a well-known provincial rugby and cricket player (who went on to play two rugby tests for the Springboks in 1924), who was motivated to enter the Comrades on the morning of the race by his friend Arthur Newton (who would go on to win that 1922 race, on debut, and add another four race titles between 1923 and 1927.) Payn stopped in Hillcrest for a breakfast of eggs, ate a meal of curried chicken at Botha’s Hill, downed a beer at Drummond, and consumed about 36 oranges in the second half of the raise, along with several more pauses for tea, water and even some peach brandy, and still finished eighth in a respectable 10 hours 56 minutes.
Q: Why have intermediate cut-offs?
A: The Comrades Marathon uses some of the primary, and in some cases the only, access roads to communities, residences, farms and businesses along the route, which means runners are allowed to enjoy this iconic event, courtesy of the tolerance of the local communities, but the roads do need to re-open within a reasonable time.
Q: When and how were cut-offs introduced at the Comrades?
A: The first Comrades cut-off was introduced for the Up Run in 1968, at 6 hours 30 minutes at halfway (Drummond) for the (then) 11-hour final race time. This actually equated to a 13-hour finishing time for the full distance, and after a couple of years, the CMA found that there were runners who were just getting past this halfway cut-off but who had no chance of finishing, so a few years later the Drummond cut-off was reset at 6 hours. This was still effectively a 12-hour pace for an 11-hour final cut-off time, and that remained in place until the 12-hour final cut-off was reintroduced in the 2000 millennium race (and became a permanent final cut-off in 2003). Through the years, other intermediate cut-off points were also added.
Q: Why have cut-offs proven so controversial in recent years?
A: The various intermediate cut-off points and times have varied from year to year, but the Comrades Marathon organisers have been criticised for making these cut-off times too demanding (or tight). As a result, it was felt that slower runners had to expend too much energy in the earlier stages of the race in order to make it through the initial cut-off points, thus making it harder for them to then get past the later cut-offs.
Q: What is the 2025 approach to route cut-offs?
A: The new 2025 approach is to return to the initial base of 1968 and prior years, where the focus is on allowing the runner the greatest tolerance in pacing options, notably in the first half of the race, but to also still look to have cut-offs in place to make it possible to open the road to other road users within a reasonable time.
Q: Will a runner be removed from the road in the 2025 race?
A: The only circumstances that a runner will be required to leave the route (and be taken to the finish by one of the ‘bailer buses’), is either because the medical team are concerned about the runner’s health or welfare, or if it is clear that the runner is not going to be able to make up the time to reach the finish within 12 hours.
The organisers of the 2025 race are determined that no runner who is still capable of finishing will be prevented from doing so, as long as they reach the cut-off points as per the cut-off table given to runners. The CMA is allowing runners very generous pacing times to reach those cut-off points, and runners will only be removed from the race if they fail to reach one of those points on the course within the permitted time.
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