Five weeks out from the 14 June start gun in Durban, the Comrades Marathon Association has confirmed that the 2026 edition will be the shortest Up Run in the race's modern era at 85.777km, a fraction over five and a half kilometres shorter than the standard. The reduction, the result of a course recertification in March that pulled both the Pinetown and Pietermaritzburg sections inward, has put the race's most enduring records under unusual pressure and added a fresh layer of intrigue to a field that already features five former champions and a women's race centred on Gerda Steyn's bid for an unprecedented fifth victory.
Race director Alain Dalais told local media that the recertification was a routine survey adjustment rather than a deliberate attempt to engineer fast times, but he conceded that, paired with cool June weather forecasts and lucrative time-bonus incentives, the conditions are pointing toward a record-rich day. The Up Run record of 5:24:49, set by David Gatebe in 2016, has stood as one of the toughest marks in long-distance running, and the women's Up Run record of 5:54:43, set by Steyn in 2024, has been an internal target for her training all spring.
The men's elite list is dominated by Ryan Wiersma, the 2024 winner, and three-time champion Tete Dijana, with Edward Mothibi and three-time winner Bongmusa Mthembu providing the historical ballast. Wiersma's preparations have been disrupted by a January illness that cost him three weeks of training, but his most recent build-up sessions in the Drakensberg suggest his climbing legs are intact. Dijana has been quieter than usual, racing only twice since February, with team officials at Hollywood Athletics Club describing his approach as "deliberately understated" ahead of an Up Run he has historically dominated.
The women's race is, as ever, framed around Steyn. The South African is targeting a fifth Comrades win, which would equal Frith van der Merwe and Bruce Fordyce on the all-time list, and her fourth consecutive title. She lines up against Kenyan ultra debutant Lucy Cheruiyot, returning two-time champion Alexandra Morozova, and a strong domestic group led by Jenet Mbhele. Steyn told reporters at last weekend's Two Oceans build-up race in Cape Town that she would not chase the record from the gun: "If it comes, it comes, but I am running for the win first."
For the rank-and-file, the qualifier window has now closed and entry numbers settled at the 22,000 cap. The race retains its full Bronze, Silver and Wally Hayward medal cut-offs, with the bonus structure for sub-five-and-a-half-hour finishes adjusted to reflect the slightly shorter distance. Buses begin moving runners to the Durban start line from 03:30 on race day, with a full Comrades Expo running at the Durban Exhibition Centre from 11 to 13 June. Television coverage on SuperSport and SABC will start at 05:00 South African Standard Time, the official gun set for 05:30.