Comrades Marathon Blog

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”.