OFFICIAL: 2020 Comrades Marathon cancelled

Athletics South Africa, KZN Athletics and the Comrades Marathon Association came to the decision after lengthy discussions around the staging of what would have been the 95th edition of the race.

Organisers had initially planned to postpone the race with the view of staging the Down Run in September. CMA Chairperson Cheryl Winn said in a press release that the ongoing pandemic has wide ranging ramifications that led to a final decision being taken:

“We had hoped to postpone The Ultimate Human Race to a date not later than end of September (owing to climatic conditions), but alas with the Covid-19 pandemic showing no signs of abating and anticipated to peak in the coming months, there is no telling what is yet to come. As CMA, it is incumbent upon us to prioritise the health, safety and well-being of our athletes, volunteers and stakeholders and therefore lamentably we will not be staging this year’s edition of the country’s leading road running event.”

KZN Athletics Administrator Jay Reddy has clarified that South African entrants that have registered for the race will not receive refunds for their entry fees but would still receive Comrades 2020 runners T-shirt and goodie bags, as well as a Comrades badge and flash. 

Foreign entrants will have their entry fees and entries deferred to 2021 or 2022, depending on if and when the runners want to compete. If foreign runners want to submit their entry for substitution it can only be done in 2021.

Runners that were looking to complete Back-to-Back runs will be eligible for the medal in 2021 given the circumstances of the race’s cancellation.