Comrades Marathon: The history of the world's greatest ultramarathon
Every year, in Durban or Pietermaritzburg, a gunshot rings out exactly twelve hours after the start. No matter where the last runner in the race is, even if they have only a few meters left before the line, the event stops dead. This rule, however brutal it may be, is one of the reasons why the Comrades Marathon has become a legend: here, performance cannot be improvised, and respect for time is as much a part of the narrative as the distance itself.
Born from the memory of the trenches
The Comrades Marathon was born in 1921, at the initiative of Vic Clapham, a former South African soldier from the First World War. Marked by the long forced marches endured alongside his comrades during the East African campaign, Clapham wanted to create an event capable of paying tribute to the soldiers who fell in combat, and of celebrating the endurance and solidarity that had united the survivors. On May 24, 1921, a public holiday in the British Empire, 34 runners set off between Pietermaritzburg and Durban, over approximately 90 km. Only 16 of them reached the finish. The chosen name, "Comrades," already says everything about the philosophy of the race: one does not run against others, one runs with them.
A race with a ruthless law
Since that first edition, the distance has varied slightly depending on the route, but the time limit rule has never changed: twelve hours, not a minute more. A starter fires a gun at the closing of the finish line, and the officials physically turn around to stop looking at the race, a symbolic way of saying that the event is over for everyone, including those who were still running. Images of runners stopped a few strides from the line have become, over the decades, an integral part of the Comrades' folklore, almost as much as the stories of victory.
A route that changes direction every year
Another peculiarity: the route changes direction each edition. One year, you run the "Down Run," from Pietermaritzburg towards Durban, generally downhill but grueling for the quadriceps; the following year, the "Up Run" reverses the direction and climbs towards the heights of KwaZulu-Natal, with its famous "Big Five," five hills dreaded by runners. This alternation forces each generation of runners to face both versions of the race, and prevents any routine from setting in on an event that is, however, a century old.
1975: the year the race finally opened to all
The history of the Comrades also bears the scars of its country. For more than fifty years, only white men could officially register. Yet, as early as 1935, Robert Mtshali had completed the course in about 9:30, without any official recognition possible at the time: his feat would only be honored decades later, when the organization created a medal bearing his name for finishes between 9 and 10 hours. It would take until 1975, the year of the race's golden jubilee, for black runners and women to finally be officially admitted. This edition saw Vincent Rakabele become the first black runner to officially receive a medal, by finishing 20th. A strong symbolic shift, in the midst of the apartheid era, carried by a race born to celebrate what brings together rather than what divides.
The Ubuntu spirit, stronger than competition
What is most striking, at the finish line as well as on the course, is the presence of the people of KwaZulu-Natal, massively mobilized along the 90 km to encourage strangers for hours. Stories of runners who slow down to accompany a competitor in difficulty to the line, even at the cost of sacrificing their own time, are an integral part of the race's culture. We find here, almost word for word, the South African concept of Ubuntu: "I am because we are." The Comrades' medal system also reflects this philosophy: beyond the podiums, each time slot of finishing (Bill Rowan, Robert Mtshali, Bronze) earns its own reward, as if the race wanted to honor every form of commitment, not just speed.
A legend still alive
The Comrades also has its legendary figures: Bruce Fordyce, a nine-time winner in the 1980s, remains a South African national icon. As for records, the race continues to belong to the present: in 2023, on the Down Run, Tete Dijana covered the distance in 5:13:58 for the men, and Gerda Steyn in 5:44:54 for the women. More than a hundred years after its creation, the event continues to bring together more than 15,000 runners from all over the world every year, all subject to the same rule: the final gunshot waits for no one.
What the Comrades tells us, even today
If the Comrades Marathon fascinates running lovers so much, it is because it embodies, on a large scale and for a century, an idea dear to the Spiridon spirit: running is not just a matter of the clock. It is a collective experience, where helping each other counts as much as performance, and where crossing the line - even far behind the leaders - remains a victory in itself. A philosophy that free running, without race numbers or rankings, has never ceased to defend.