Comrades 2027

 

What We Know About the 28,000-Runner Centenary Race

Welcome, fellow runners and fitness enthusiasts. The 2027 Comrades Marathon is taking shape, and there's a lot for runners to keep track of.

It'll run on Sunday 13 June 2027, from Pietermaritzburg to Durban; the 100th edition of the race, and the 50th time it's gone in the Down direction. The field is also getting bigger: the entry cap is now 28,000 runners, the largest in the race's history.

That number alone changes the feel of race weekend. More people in Pietermaritzburg beforehand, more supporters lining the route, and a much bigger job for organisers at the Durban finish.

But if you're actually planning to run it, the questions that matter are simpler. How do you get in? What's the qualifying time? How long is the course really going to be? What does it cost? And what should you be doing right now, in August 2026, if you want to be on that start line?

Here's what's confirmed so far.

The date

Sunday 13 June 2027. Down Run, starting outside Pietermaritzburg City Hall at 05:00, finishing at the Kings Park Rugby Precinct in Durban.

The CMA confirmed this earlier in the year after some uncertainty had been floating around about whether the race would go ahead as planned. It will.

June feels far off when you're reading this in August. It isn't, really, not once you factor in a qualifying race, a proper build-up, and the months that just vanish once spring hits. Long runs need to fit around work and family. Qualifiers need to be booked and run. It adds up faster than people expect.

Why "centenary" and not just "100th anniversary"

The first Comrades was run in 1921. It's been held most years since, but not every year; the race didn't happen from 1941 to 1945 during the war, and 2020 and 2021 were both cancelled because of COVID. So 2027 is the 100th time the race has actually been run, even though it's been around for 106 years.

It's also the 50th Down Run, since the direction alternates each year.

There's a fair bit of history wrapped up in all of that. Most of it will matter very little to someone standing at the start line at 4am, half-asleep, thinking about nothing except getting to the finish. Get to the start. Pace yourself. Eat, drink, keep moving. That's really the whole job on the day.

28,000 runners - a record field

The CMA has raised the cap to 28,000, up from 24,172 in the 2025 Down Run and 24,636 in the 2019 Up Run. According to the CMA, the increase came out of planning discussions with municipalities, emergency services and traffic authorities, and it's partly made possible by the new finish venue simply having more room.

For anyone running it, a bigger field changes the day in small but real ways. Busier holding areas at the start. More strain on transport. A finish area that has to process thousands more tired, hungry, disoriented athletes along with their families. Which brings us to the finish itself.

The finish moves to Kings Park

For 2027, the race finishes at the Kings Park Rugby Precinct; a change from the 2025 Down Run, which finished near People's Park. The CMA says Kings Park gives them more space for the race village, runner flow, medical tents, recovery, and everything else that has to happen in the finish area.

That might sound like a footnote when you're planning a 90km race, but it isn't. Anyone who's finished Comrades knows what the last few kilometres do to you. Legs are gone, focus is going, your phone battery is dying, and somewhere in that crowd your family is trying to find you. A bigger finish venue should help organisers manage that chaos  but with 28,000 runners and their supporters all converging on one place, it's worth agreeing on a meeting point with your people well before race day. Don't assume you'll just find each other.

So how long is the course, actually?

Here's where I'd be careful about quoting one number as gospel.

The CMA's current estimate is around 91km, but the final figure won't be locked in until the route is officially measured. Roadworks are expected to shorten parts of it. For reference, the 2025 Down Run measured 89.98km. The official race rules describe it as an approximate 89km course "subject to final measurement," while the CMA's own FAQ says roughly 91km. Two official sources, two slightly different numbers - which tells you the final measurement genuinely isn't settled yet.

Practically, it doesn't change much for training. You're preparing for Comrades, not for a road race measured to the metre. The exact distance will matter more once you're deep into pacing and cut-off math closer to race day, once the official measurement comes out.

What it costs

Entry fees haven't moved:

• South African entrants: R1,200
• Rest of Africa: R2,000
• International: R4,500

That's unchanged since 2022, according to the CMA. You can pay it all at once or split it; half at entry, the rest due by 31 January 2027. Athletes with 25 or more Comrades medals get their entry waived entirely, which is a nice touch for the race's veterans.

One thing worth flagging: your entry is tied to you personally. You can't sell it or hand it off to a mate if your plans change - there's an official substitution process for that, and it's the only legitimate route. Don't try to arrange a private swap.

Entries are staggered - and this bit matters right now

This is probably the most time-sensitive part of the whole article.

• Green Number holders (10+ medals) and Yellow Number athletes (9 medals) could already enter from 25 August 2026, along with Amabeadibeadi charity entries.
• CMA members get their own window: 2 September at 10:00 through 5 September at 10:00, or sooner if the allocation fills up.
• Everyone else goes through the general ballot. Applications open 9 September at 10:00 and close 22 September at 16:30, with the draw on 23 September.

If you're planning to enter through the general ballot, your qualifying plan needs to already be in motion. Waiting until September to think about it is cutting things close.

Qualifying standards

The CMA's published qualifying times, by distance:

Distance	Time
42.2 km	under 5:00
48 km	under 6:00
50 km	under 6:10
52-54 km	under 6:30
56 km	under 7:00
60 km	under 7:40
64 km	under 8:15
80 km	under 10:35
90 km	under 12:00
100 km	under 13:35

All qualifying info needs to be submitted by 3 May 2027. For most people, the standard marathon (42.2km, under 5 hours) is the most realistic route in. Just don't leave it until the last possible qualifying race on the calendar; injuries happen, bad days happen, and you want a buffer if things go sideways.

What to actually do in August 2026

You don't need to be racking up huge weekly mileage yet. You do need an actual plan.

Pick your qualifying race first and work backwards from it. Be honest about where your current fitness sits against the time you need. If you're running 30km a week right now, don't let a few impressive Strava posts from other people talk you into jumping straight to 80km weeks, that's how people get injured before they even qualify.

Build up gradually. Keep some strength work in the mix - squats, lunges, single-leg work, basic core; it pays off on the hills later. And take recovery seriously: sleep, eating enough, actual rest days. A Comrades build-up is a long campaign, not something you win in September.

The cut-off is still 12 hours

Intermediate cut-offs haven't been announced yet, but the overall limit is 12 hours, same as always.

Pacing is where a lot of Comrades runs go wrong. The start is electric; tens of thousands of people together before sunrise, music, noise, months of anticipation finally letting loose. It's genuinely easy to go out faster than you planned. Then the hills show up. Then the distance you haven't run before starts to bite.

The runners who finish comfortably are usually the ones who thought past the first 30km and made sure they had something left at halfway. Simple in theory. Much harder once the gun actually goes off.

Prize money

R8,919,100 in total prize money for 2027, with R1 million each for the men's and women's winners, and payouts down through the top 10 in each race.

For almost everyone on the start line, none of this is the point. Most people there are chasing a finish, a first Bill Rowan medal, a better seeding, or just the distance itself for the first time. That's part of what makes Comrades odd as a race - an elite athlete and a first-timer running their first ultra spend the same morning on the same road, dealing with the same hills and the same clock.

The centenary programme

The CMA is running the 2027 event under the banner "The Greatest Story Ever Run," with centenary events planned in the lead-up to race day. More details will come out as the year goes on.

Realistically, though, most of that will matter less to runners than the practical stuff: where to collect your race pack, where family can park, how to get to Pietermaritzburg, where to meet people after the finish, what the cut-offs actually are, what time to leave your accommodation. Those are the questions that get urgent once race week actually arrives.

What happens next

• Green/Yellow Number and charity entries: opened 25 August 2026
• CMA member entries: 2-5 September 2026
• General ballot: 9-22 September 2026, draw on 23 September
• Qualifying/seeding/profile deadline: 3 May 2027
• Race pack collection: 10-12 June 2027
• Race day: Sunday 13 June 2027

The short version

It's the 100th edition, a Down Run from Pietermaritzburg to Durban, starting at 05:00 on 13 June 2027. The field is capped at a record 28,000, finishing at the new Kings Park venue. The course should land somewhere around 91km, though the exact figure is still pending official measurement. The cut-off is 12 hours. South African entry stays at R1,200. General entries go through a ballot, and qualifying info is due by 3 May 2027.

There's more to come; the final measured course, intermediate cut-offs, race-week logistics, the rest of the centenary programme. But none of that changes the basics for anyone actually training for it: pick a qualifier, check what it demands of you, look honestly at where your fitness is now, and build up with enough time to spare.

Whatever "centenary" ends up meaning for the event itself, it won't change what the race asks of the people running it. It's still close to 90km. The hills are still there. The last stretch still demands patience, no matter which edition it is.

On 13 June 2027, 28,000 people will start in Pietermaritzburg for their own reasons; a medal, a time, a promise they made themselves years ago, or just the chance to say they were there for the 100th one. That last part is probably the bit worth remembering.