The Comrades Marathon has started the stopwatch on its next century.
The world’s most celebrated ultramarathon officially launched its 100th edition in Durban on Wednesday, unveiling a centenary race that promises to stretch the imagination as far as the legs of its runners.
The 2027 Down Run will take place on Sunday, 13 June, travelling from Pietermaritzburg City Hall to a new finish at the Kings Park Rugby Precinct.
The entry cap has been raised to 28,000 runners, making it the biggest Comrades field in history.
At the heart of the centenary is a slogan with enough mileage to carry a century: The Greatest Story Ever Run.
Chosen from more than 200 submissions from the wider Comrades community, the campaign captures an event whose history has been written one aching kilometre at a time.
“The Comrades Marathon has such a rich history, from the pioneers of the 1920s who ran to pay tribute to their comrades in arms from the Great War, to the hundreds of thousands of runners who have shaped the legacy of this phenomenal event by adding their own stories to Comrades Marathon lore over the past century,” says CMA General Manager Alain Dalais.
“Now in 2027, we get to add a glorious 100th chapter to this story as we celebrate the centenary of one of the world’s greatest running events, and we invite our 2027 entrants to honour those who came before them while contributing to this next chapter of the race. The Greatest Story Ever Run is timeless, memorable and distinctive, making it ideally suited as the official centenary slogan to honour history, run the legacy, and be part of the Comrades Marathon story.”
The numbers tell their own muscular story.
The 2025 Down Run attracted a record 24,172 entries, while the 2019 Up Run drew 24,636. The new ceiling of 28,000 pushes the event into uncharted territory.
Race Director Sue Forge says the increase follows extensive operational planning.
“The decision to increase the entry cap to 28,000 has been carefully considered and is supported by extensive operational planning. While we want as many runners as responsibly possible to experience this historic centenary race, the safety of our participants, volunteers, spectators and communities remains our foremost priority,” says Forge.
“We are working closely with the host municipalities, emergency services, traffic authorities and our operational partners to strengthen traffic management, transport, crowd control and venue operations, ensuring that the increased field is accommodated safely, and that the high standard of the Comrades Marathon experience is maintained.”
The new finish is expected to produce a route of approximately 91km, subject to final measurement after roadworks. The 2025 Down Run measured 89.98km, while the longest course in Comrades history was 92km in 1971.
“The sports fields within the Kings Park precinct offer significantly more space for the finish area and race village, allowing us to create a safer, more efficient and more memorable experience for runners and spectators,” says Forge.
“The expanded precinct provides greater flexibility for runner flow, medical and recovery services, hospitality, transport and post-race operations, while giving us the opportunity to develop a truly fitting finish for the historic 100th Comrades Marathon.”
Entry fees will remain unchanged, having stayed at the same level since 2022.
Entries open Tuesday, 25 August 2026, in three phases, beginning with Green Number and Yellow Number athletes, followed by CMA Members and then general entries.
For CMA Chairperson Mark Leathers, the centenary is the opening gun for a celebration that will reverberate far beyond race day.
“Our 2027 race will be the largest edition of the Comrades Marathon yet, and we know that this launch is the beginning of an incredibly exciting build-up to the next Down Run, and the start of an exciting next century of the race.”
“The CMA is committed to ensuring an unforgettable experience for all our runners, supporters and partners next year, and the coming months are going to include many centenary activities that will culminate in a spectacular celebration of the Ultimate Human Race,” concludes Leathers.
A century on, Comrades is still running on the same fuel: courage, community and the stubborn human refusal to stop.
In 2027, the road gets another chapter.
And 28,000 runners will have the chance to write it.
