From a 2004 Press Release:
Organisers have confirmed that the exact distance of the 2004 Comrades Marathon to be run on Wednesday, 16 June is 86.75km. The race will finish for the first time at The Oval in Alexandra Park, Pietermaritzburg and will be approximately 600m longer than the last ‘Up Run’ held in 2002.
The Comrades Marathon ‘Up Run’ is by no means a race for the faint-hearted. Known as “The Ultimate Human Race” it consists of 54km of energy-sapping uphill running and provides an ultimate tests of human endurance. Many runners claim to prefer the ‘Up Run’ over the ‘Down Run’, while logic dictates that when all else fails, gravity will pull you downhill, while only sheer guts and flagging energy reserves can power a runner uphill in the final stages of a Comrades Marathon ‘Up Run’.
The start for the ‘Up Run’ is at sea level on West Street, Durban adjacent to the picturesque City Hall. At 05h30 in the morning it is dark and cool. The finish is 86.75km away in Pietermaritzburg at an altitude of 605m. But in order to get there runners will climb a total of 1,778m over undulating terrain, only reaching the highest point on the route which is 824m at approximately 67km.
Along the way runners encounter five major hills, popularly known as the “Big Five”. The first of these is encountered approximately 14km from the start – Cowies Hill, a moderately difficult climb, rising approximately 137m over a distance of 1.5km.
Runners reach the next major climb – Field’s Hill at approximately 25km. Field’s Hill is considerably taxing, rising 213m over a distance of 3km, on bad camber. It offers a foretaste of things to come and is generally the stage at which a somber mood descends upon runners.
Botha’s Hill offers the third serious challenge with a somewhat lesser altitude rise of approx 150m over a distance of 2,4km, but is nonetheless taxing. It is followed by a relatively pleasant 7km descent to the Pick ‘n Pay Half Way stage of the race.
No sooner do runners pass through the Pick ‘n Pay Half Way than they are faced with yet another relentless climb, that of Inchanga, 150m over 2.5km. By no means a formidable ascent on its own, after 45km of mostly uphill running , Inchanga can be mind-blowing.
Once Inchanga is crested the route follows generally flat, occasionally undulating stretches of road for approximately 20km before gradually climbing up to the highest point on the route – Umlaas Road 824m at approx 67km. Thereafter another gentle descent, not to mention a little killer hill – Little Mpusheni – which doesn’t even crack the Big Five.
Finally, the ultimate in Heartbreak Hills, the most infamous hill in road running – the wicked Polly Shortts. It lies in wait 80km from the start in Durban and is often the make or break point for novices and seasoned runners alike, even the top contenders. The climb is 133m over a distance of 1.8km, a positively formidable obstacle to any runner with two back-to-back standard marathons behind them.
At the top of Pollys, it’s still not over, as runners still face two more small steep climbs up hills which do not even warrant names on the run in to the finish.
At some stage during a very long day, the temperature will probably have peaked at approximately 30 degrees. The fastest runner will reach the finish in just under 5½ hours at approximately 11h00. The last runner to officially finish will reach The Oval in Pietermartitzburg after dark at 17h30, as a winter evening chill descends upon the stadium. Twelve thousand runners will have started in Durban in the morning and approximately eleven thousand of them will reach the finish to be awarded medals for completing, “The Ultimate Human Race”.
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