The official distance for the 99th edition of the Comrades Marathon has been confirmed as 85.777km for the 2026 ‘Up Run’ from Durban to Pietermaritzburg, taking place on Sunday, 14 June.
This makes it the shortest Up Run distance in recent Comrades Marathon history.
Recorded in miles
The previous shortest race distance was 85.910km in the 2024 Up Run, which also started in front of Durban City Hall and finished at the Hollywoodbets Scottsville Racecourse in Pietermaritzburg.
The 2026 race will therefore be 133 metres shorter than the 2024 event, which itself was 820 metres shorter than the 2019 Up Run, measuring 86.730km.
Historical Context: Prior to 1969, Comrades Marathon race distances were recorded in miles and were largely estimated rather than officially measured. The Up Run was typically listed as approximately 54 miles, equivalent to 86.886km. While the 2026 distance may therefore be the shortest in the history of the Up Run, and potentially the race overall, this cannot be confirmed with absolute certainty due to the absence of precise historical measurements.
Route Measurement Officially Completed
The official measurement of the 2026 route was completed over the weekend of 25-26 April, conducted by the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) Route Portfolio in collaboration with the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport’s Road Traffic Inspectorate, Durban Metro Police and Msunduzi Traffic Police.
The process involved a convoy of vehicles and police motorbike escorts accompanying World Athletics-accredited route measurer Mike Rooke, who measured the route using a calibrated bicycle fitted with a Clain Jones counter.
This device accurately records wheel revolutions to determine distance. At each kilometre mark, the convoy stopped to paint kilometre-to-go markings on the road surface, indicating where kilometre boards will be placed on race day.
Comrades Marathon Race Director Sue Forge explains that the slight reduction in distance is largely due to route adjustments necessitated by ongoing infrastructure developments.
“The ongoing roadworks have had a significant impact on the route and our planning. However, thanks to the outstanding collaboration and support of the municipalities, the Road Traffic Inspectorate, Durban Metro Police and Msunduzi Traffic Police, we have been able to finalise a route that not only provides a slightly shorter distance for runners, but also improves the management of road closures, traffic flow, infrastructure removal and post-race clean-up.”
Forge went on to explain that while the start and finish venues of 2024 remain the same, a few specific course adjustments account for the shorter distance.
“We have changed the set-up of the finish at Scottsville and shortened the finish straight, while out on the route, the biggest change is that from 45th Cutting to Cowies Hill, where runners will move in a contra-flow direction. This means they will run on the other side of the road to previous years, against the normal traffic direction, which will also reduce the gradient of that section slightly.
“Meanwhile, we have retained the Umlaas Road cut-through, working closely with SANRAL and the appointed contractors to remove a 12-metre section of the new roadside barriers and surface the area, enabling runners to cross directly. This adjustment will once again save runners approximately 870 metres,” adds Forge.
Record-Breaking Performances Once Again Possible
The current men’s best time for the Up Run belongs to Leonid Shvetsov, who clocked 5:24:49 in the 2008 race, which finished at the Oval Cricket Stadium in Pietermaritzburg and measured 86.940km.
While the Up Run route has been slightly shorter than that most years since 2008 (except for the 87.720km of 2015), the nearest the winner has come to beating Shvetsov’s time has been 2024 winner Piet Wiersma, who posted a time of 5:25:00 over 85.910km.
The women’s best Up Run time was posted by four-time winner Gerda Steyn on the 2024 course, as she came home in 5:49:46 to shatter her own previous Up Run best of 5:58:53, set in 2019 on an 86.730km route.
That also saw her become the first woman to achieve a sub-six hours finish on the Up Run.
“With the shortest route on record for the Up Run being run this year, coupled with lucrative cash incentives for runners to chase the best time and best pace records, we may see those records fall again in 2026,” says Forge.
