GOOD NEWS FOR COMRADES RUNNERS

MBABANE – What will come as a sweet melody to the ears of local runners who had registered for the postponed South Africa’s Comrades Marathon is that they will be able to use their 2020 entry for the 2021 edition.

The Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) announced through Chairperson Cheryl Winn that only foreign runners from the rest of Africa and other international countries will be able to use their entry of 2020 to run the Comrades when South Africa re-opens its borders for the 2021 edition while South Africans will have to pay the entry fee again.

Biggest

It costs about E1 500 to E3 800 for each foreign runner to compete in the Comrades Marathon, while South Africans pay about E600 to be part of the biggest marathon. 

“On May 14, as we jointly announced with ASA the decision to cancel, we also announced the manner in which we would deal with the entries, namely that South African athletes would receive their #Comrades2020 mrpsport runner T-shirt and goodie bag, as well as a Comrades badge and flash, and that international entries would be given the opportunity to defer their entries to 2021 or 2022,” said Winn.

The 2020 Comrades Marathon was scheduled for June 14, 2020, starting at the Pietermaritzburg City Hall at 5:30am and finishing 12 hours later at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, South Africa. Last year’s race attracted about 27 000 runners.
The comrade’s marathon attracts runners from all over the world, including emaSwati. Winn set the records straight after complaints from furious runners from South Africa.

She said it cost about E42 million to host the marathon.
“Our total entry fees received for 2020 was R20.2 million, made up of approximately R13.6 million South African entries at R600 each and the balance of R6.6 million comprising some entries from the rest of Africa, at R1 500 each, but mainly foreign entries at R3 800,” she said.

Miss

Some of the local clubs, which hardly miss the Comrades Marathon include Golden Foot Club (GFC), Zithande Athletics Club and Manzini Striders among others, while others run individually.

GFC Communications Manager Gideon Mthembu said they had a number of runners who had registered for the marathon before it was postponed and now it would be up to that individual what to do with the entry fee.

“There is an option of donating the entry fee to a charity organisation or use it for the 2021 edition.
“We go there as a team but when it comes to registration it is individually,’ he said.

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