Race date for 2022 Comrades Marathon

Some exciting news was released today. With marathon races slowly returning across the world, the Comrades Marathon Association announced today that the 95^th running of the world’s biggest, oldest and most famous ultramarathon will take place on Sunday, 28 August 2022. We are so excited about this and the change of date will suit most runner’s racing calendars perfectly.

A word from Cheryl Winn – Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) Chairperson

“Decisions taken by the CMA are primarily made with the health and safety of runners in mind. We not only endeavour to uphold the integrity of our world-class event but first and foremost aim to safeguard the wellbeing of our athletes, staff, volunteers, sponsors, stakeholders, supporters and fellow South Africans involved in staging, hosting, participating and maintaining the legacy of The Ultimate Human Race”, Winn said.

“There has been much talk in athletic circles about a proposed race date for the 2022 Comrades Marathon. At CMA we believe this discourse could not have come at a better time for a complete revamp of our race calendar for the future, to re-imagine and design it in such a way that it benefits the build-up of endurance for the majority of distance runners in South Africa going forward”, she added.

Is this date better for runners?

There were several strong motivating factors that supported the change of date, but by far the most pertinent was that by doing so, the organisers will gain an additional two hours of daylight in which to stage the 12-hour event, which will undeniably serve the best interests of the safety of runners and volunteers, as well as enabling the CMA to implement a staggered or wave start, as will inevitably be required going forward in terms of Covid regulations.

When it comes to climatic conditions, according to historical weather information the average temperature in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal for the month of August is .5 degrees (ie. 1/2 a degree) warmer than the month of June. The average total precipitation for the entire month of August is 10mm more than for the month of June. And the average humidity for August is 71% as opposed to 70% in June.

Another factor of the rationale behind moving The Ultimate Human Race to a date later in the year is to ensure the best possible chance against once again having to cancel the Comrades Marathon in these uncertain times of the Coronavirus pandemic, and in doing so, to actually be able to stage the Comrades Marathon which is so loved by runners in South Africa and all over the world, as a Beacon of Hope, following the past two years of despair.

Africa Marathons – An Official International Travel Partner for Comrades Marathon

At Africa Marathons, we not only assist you in entering Comrades Marathon but also make all arrangements in terms of accommodation, local travel, race day support and many other team advantages. We can even aid with air travel if you so choose. We also have a few team members who will be taking part on race day, as we are runners ourselves too.

More detail on qualifying criteria and other race information will be confirmed at the official media launch, the date of which will be announced in due course.

For more info on the event or to enter Comrades Marathon 2022 please send us an email at [email protected]. You can also contact us on the button below to enter.