Durban – This Year the Comrades Marathon Race will take place on May 29, starting at 05:30am in Pietermaritzburg.
2015 Comrades Winner in the men’s Category was Gift Kelehe from South Africa, 14 years after his brother Andrew Kelehe won the Race in 2001. Gift completed the up run in a time of 05:38:36 and he even did some push-ups at the finish line.
Caroline Wostmann also became the first South African winner in the women’s race since 1998, she finished at a time of 06:12:20. She also won the Two Oceans Marathon in the same year. “I’ve had such an incredible year, such an incredible day – all glory to God… I’m in a huge amount of pain, I pushed myself to the limit,” she said in a television interview after the race. She added however that it was all worth it. “I’m aching all over but I’m so happy – it’s worth all the pain.”
The Race is capped at 23,000 runners and entrants come from more than 60 Countries. Since 1988 over 10,000 runners have reached the finish line within the allowed 11 or 12 hours. Runners over the age of 20 qualify when they are able to complete an officially recognised Marathon under five hours, this marathon is normally 42.2km.
During the race there is 5 cut-off points which every runner must achieve in order to complete the race.
The direction of this Ultramarathon alternates each year between the “Up Run” (Durban to Pietermaritzburg) this year will be the “Down Run” which will Start in Pietermaritzburg and end in Durban.