Runners Platform SA

   Here's What Actually Matters Welcome, fellow runners and fitness enthusiasts. Tomorrow at 10am, entries open for the 100th Comrades Marathon. If you've been avoiding the fine print because the ASA vs CMA fight made the whole thing feel shaky, stop putting it off. The race is happening. Entries are opening on schedule. The governance mess is a separate headache for a separate day - don't let it cost you a spot in the centenary edition. Here's the bit people keep getting wrong: entering does not let you skip qualifying. You still need a sub-5-hour marathon run somewhere between 15 June 2026 and 3 May 2027. I've had club mates assume a Green Number or an early window means the qualifying time doesn't apply to them. It does. Every single time, no exceptions. The Windows Green Number and Yellow Number athletes, plus Amabeadibeadi charity entries, get first crack tomorrow - 10am to 4:30pm on 31 August, or sooner if the cap fills before then. CMA members get...

What's Really Going On With the Comrades Marathon? Welcome, fellow runners and fitness enthusiasts.  The ongoing dispute between Athletics South Africa (ASA) and the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) has become one of the biggest talking points in South African running. For many runners, though, the situation can feel complicated and difficult to follow. The debate involves everything from race sanctioning and federation structures to membership, governance, licensing, broadcasting rights and legal processes. At the centre of it all is the Comrades Marathon and, more importantly, its historic 100th edition scheduled for 13 June 2027. What should be a celebration of one of the world's most iconic ultra-marathons has instead become overshadowed by an escalating governance battle. The dispute has now reached a critical point. ASA has publicly stated that the 2027 Comrades Marathon is not sanctioned by the national federation, while the CMA has made it clear that it intends to c...