There has been much talk in athletic circles about a proposed race date for the 2022 Comrades Marathon and the CMA has submitted an application, which has been approved by KwaZulu-Natal Athletics (KZNA), for next year’s Comrades Marathon to be hosted on Sunday, 28 August 2022.
“At CMA we believe this discourse could not have come at a better time for a complete revamp of our race calendar for the future, to re-imagine and design it in such a way that it benefits the build-up of endurance for the majority of distance runners in South Africa going forward,” said Cheryl Winn, chairperson of the Comrades Marathon Association. Winn said decisions taken by the association are primarily made with the health and safety of runners in mind. “We not only endeavour to uphold the integrity of our world-class event but first and foremost aim to safeguard the well-being of our athletes, staff, volunteers, sponsors, stakeholders, supporters and fellow South Africans involved in staging, hosting, participating and maintaining the legacy of the Ultimate Human Race.” Winn added that there are several strong motivating factors which supported the application, but by far the most pertinent was that an additional two hours of daylight will be gained in which to stage the 12-hour event, which will undeniably serve the best interests of the safety of runners and volunteers, as well as enable them to implement a staggered or wave start, as will inevitably be required going forward in terms of Covid regulations.
The date of the 100-year-old Comrades Marathon has over the years shifted from as early as mid-May to as late as mid-July, originally staged on a public holiday known as Empire Day on 24 May 1921 then later settled on Republic Day, 31 May, and with the dawn of the new South Africa on Youth Day, 16 June, as well as on various occasions being shifted backwards and forwards to avoid clashes with the hosting of Rugby and FIFA World Cups. Only as recently as 2018 did it eventually settle on the second Sunday in June, so, there is actually no “traditional” date for the Comrades. Scientifically, the problem with the second Sunday of June is its proximity to 21 June, which is the shortest day of the year in the southern hemisphere, thus requiring that shortly after a Pietermaritzburg start, thousands of tightly-bunched participants run for an hour and a quarter in the dark on narrow, winding, pot-holed country roads, mostly devoid of streetlights, and then, at the other end of the day, after having already spent 11 hours on the road, extremely weary and wounded runners once again have to navigate their way to the finish in the dark.
Another factor of the rationale behind moving the Ultimate Human Race to a date later in the year is to ensure the best possible chance against once again having to cancel the Comrades Marathon in these uncertain times of the Coronavirus pandemic, and in doing so, actually be able to stage the Comrades Marathon which is so loved by runners in South Africa and all over the world, as a beacon of hope, following the past two years of despair. The CMA Board’s strategic focus is to sustain this beloved, 100-year-old, iconic, national institution of a race, that is part of our national heritage, and which is so symbolically and economically critical to the sport of athletics in KZN and South Africa, for the next 100 years. “This can only happen if we are able to host a Comrades Marathon next year and get back on track with ensuring that our event is hosted on an annual basis going forward.”
