The Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) launched its 2018 Comrades Marathon campaign in Johannesburg on Wednesday, 30 August.

The 2018 Comrades Marathon campaign kicked off in Johannesburg on Wednesday afternoon. The 2018 theme was announced as ‘Asijiki – No Turning Back’ .

CMA Chairperson, Sifiso Nzuza said, “We are pleased to unveil our campaign for next year’s race, ‘Asijiki – No Turning Back’ which encapsulates the grit, perseverance and determination it takes to complete a Comrades Marathon. It is a relevant and all-inclusive campaign slogan that is bound to unite Comrades Marathon runners in one magnificent running of The Ultimate Human Race.”

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The 93rd Comrades Marathon will be a Down Run on Sunday, 10 June 2018. The race starts at the Pietermaritzburg City Hall at 05h30 and ends 12 hours later at the iconic Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, covering a distance of approximately 90km. This will be the 46th Down Run in Comrades history.

Entries open on Friday, 1 September 2017. The entry period closes on 30 November 2017 or as soon as the entry cap of 20,000 has been reached. Prospective entrants are encouraged to get their entries in early to avoid disappointment.

ENTRY FEES:

• Early Bird Entries : R 460.00
• Local Entries : R 500.00
• International : R3300.00

Athletes from South Africa and the Rest of Africa will be eligible for the ‘early bird’ entry fee of R460 if their entry is received before 30 September 2017. The regular entry fee of R500 will kick in on 1 October 2017 until the entry process closes. Please note that athletes from the Rest of Africa will pay the same entry fee as South African runners.

The international entry fee is applicable to all entrants outside of the African continent. Entry is free to all runners who have completed the Comrades Marathon 25 times or more.

Runners can enter as follows:

• Online via the Comrades Marathon website: www.comrades.com;
• By posting their completed entry form with proof of payment to the CMA Office: P.O. Box 100621, Scottsville, 3209;
• By handing in their completed entry form together with payment at Comrades House, 18 Connaught Road, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg.

QUALIFIERS

Qualifying for the 2018 Comrades Marathon will be applicable from 27 August 2017 till 2 May 2018. Runners are advised that the 2017 Comrades Marathon will not be an automatic qualifier for next year’s race. Instead, the qualifying criteria for next year’s Comrades Marathon will be to complete a standard 42.2km marathon in under 5 hours.

SUBSTITUTION

The Substitution Process will open on 26 March and close on 25 April 2018.

CHARITIES

The CMA also announced that three new charities have been chosen to be part of the Comrades Amabeadibeadi charity drive for the next three years. The Childhood Cancer Foundation SA (CHOC), Hillcrest Aids Centre Trust and Hospice South Africa will join the Community Chests of Pietermaritzburg and Durban, Wildlands Conservation Trust and World Vision SA as the beneficiary charities of the Comrades Marathon.

‘Next year’s Down Run will certainly be a grand affair, finishing at Durban’s iconic Moses Mabhida Stadium. We welcome all of our runners, supporters and stakeholders to share in the joy and excitement of Comrades race day on Sunday, 10 June 2018.’ said CMA General Manager, Chris Fisher.

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CMA Race Director, Rowyn James says, ‘We have exciting plans in place for next year’s Down Run. With entries opening on 1 September, we urge our athletes to enter early and take advantage of our Early Bird Entry Fee, specifically for South African runners.’

For more information, visit https://comrades.com/.

All RW Comrades Training Programmes kick off in December, keep an eye out here!

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