The Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) has announced that it is considering a marginal change in the race route for the 90th Comrades Marathon to be held on Sunday, 31 May 2015.
CMA Race Director, Rowyn James has explained that due to the GO!Durban Integrated Rapid Public Transport Network road-works in Josiah Gumede Road (Old Main Road), Pinetown, a slight route deviation is being considered for Comrades race day. This is in keeping with the CMA’s strict protocol on runner safety.
James says, “The eThekwini Municipality and its contractors had met with CMA representatives prior to the 2014 Comrades Marathon to discuss any potential disruptions that such construction would have on the Comrades Marathon race route. The CMA has therefore decided to consider amending the route accordingly and will communicate the final outcome to our runners and other stakeholders in due course.”
James continues, “The construction in Pinetown does not adversely affect the route or the race and everything is being done by ourselves and the Municipality to minimise the impact on the race. We understand the importance of the development of the GO!Durban Integrated Rapid Public Transport Network which we fully support for the citizens of Durban; and will be looking at how best we can re-route the Pinetown section with minimal impact to the athletes.”
James adds, “We will be holding further discussions with the Municipality to start finalising plans but these plans are also determined by construction progress, so we will only be able to release any developments in this regard closer to the time. After all, the safety of our runners is of paramount importance; hence the possible route deviation.”
James concludes, “As the CMA, we will also be working closely with our provincial athletics federation, KwaZulu-Natal Athletics in terms of route measurement and other related contingencies. We look forward to an amazing race day for our runners and supporters alike.”
The 90th running of the world’s biggest and oldest ultra-marathon will be an ‘up-run’ from Durban to Pietermaritzburg. More than 22-thousand runners are signed up for this year’s race.