Spring has sprung and Gauteng athletes are beating the rush to get their entries in for the 2017 Comrades Marathon up-run. The Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) has confirmed that 5000 entries have been received so far since the entry process opened a week ago.
The province of Gauteng currently holds the highest tally of entries with more than 2500 entrants.An additional 512 athletes have entered from more than 30 countries on the African continent and around the world.
Currently, this is the tally as it stands;
- Gauteng – 2 536
- Kwazulu Natal – 665
- Western Cape – 647
- Mpumalanga – 163
- Free State – 117
- North West – 112
- Eastern Cape – 108
- Limpopo – 104
- Northern Cape – 36
Comrades Marathon Race Director, Rowyn James says, “We have many exciting plans in place to ensure a memorable race day for both our runners and supporters next June. We have also increased the prize money should anyone break the previously recorded best time for the up-run.”
The best times for the up-run are as follows. The mens best time was set by Leonid Shvetsov in 2008 and currently stands at an unbeaten 5:24:49 while the ladies time was set two years before by Elena Nurgalieva and stands at 6:09:24.
The three-month long entry process will close on 30 November 2016 or as soon as the entry cap of 20,000 has been reached. Prospective entrants are encouraged to get their entries in early to avoid disappointment.
Entry fees for the 2017 Comrades Marathon are as follows. Early Bird entries will come at a cost of R420 and are limited to South African athletes only for the month of September. Local Entries will cost R460 and will run for the months of October and November and are also limited to South African athletes only. The Rest of Africa will pay R770 for an entry while International athletes will get an entry at R2650.
For details on how to enter, please visit the Comrades Marathon Website.