Says CMA Chairperson, Cheryl Winn, “It may seem new age to traditional Comrades Marathon runners but ‘Race The Comrades Legends’ virtual race works pretty much the same way as any other type of running with the only difference being that the participant can run at any location, especially in the comfort of their own home, on a treadmill, outside in their garden or neighbourhood, all at their own pace.”

If you are an entrant in the 2020 Comrades Marathon it is free, and you would have received an entry voucher via email or SMS to redeem your entry. Should you not have access to email and require a voucher code or assistance, please call the CMA office on 033 897 8650. All other participants pay an entry fee of R150 for South African or R470 for International entries.

The stipulated age restrictions are as follows:

The significant difference of being part of ‘Race The Comrades Legends’ is that all finishers will be emailed a virtual medal and certificate as well as a real medal which will be delivered to them.

Participants also get to run for a cause and can make donations to an Official Comrades Marathon Amabeadibeadi Charity as well as purchase commemorative products to denote their participation in a one-of-a-kind virtual race.

The overriding aspect of ‘Race The Comrades Legends’ is that participants are not confined to any specific race route or location. Feel free to run the course of your choice but please respect the government regulations in your area pertaining to Covid-19 restrictions and social distancing. You must not run on the official Comrades route as there is no official route closure and it will create issues with people using this course on the day of the event.

Regarding the cut-off time, please note that you need to complete your run any time on Sunday, 14 June 2020 within your respective time zone. Other than that, you can run in your own time and at your own pace but you will have 24 hours to complete your selected distance.

Those opting to run the 90km race will need to plan their run wisely and ensure their safety. Please stock up on sufficient nutrition, water and energy drinks or plan ahead so that your course covers your nutrition and fluid needs on race day.

With respect to timing, your smart phone, smart watch, fitness watch or activity tracker is your personal ‘virtual timing chip’. Start the session and run your marathon. When you reach the distance for which you have entered, stop the session and simply, link your Strava, Garmin, Polar or Suunto account to your runner profile afterwards.

We also support session file import for GPX, TCX and FIT formats and will also accept manual entry of times recorded on any watch, so no one is excluded from participation and nothing is holding you back from being an official part of the race. You can also time yourself on any watch and do a manual time entry on the site.

Your time will be updated to the official ‘Race The Comrades Legends’ results for the distance you participate in. Please also note, that even though your watch or phone may deduct pauses which you may have taken during your session, we don’t. We measure from start to finish!

• Race Numbers will be emailed to every entrant. Entrants are encouraged to print out the Race Number and attach it to their running kit on race day.
• You also have the option of changing your race distance on the day if you feel your selected distance is too short or too long by logging into your profile.
• Please honour the time limit for uploading of your race data which must be done by 11:59pm on 14 June 2020 to qualify for the finisher’s medal.
• Running in your club kit is not required but encouraged.
• All entrants will have the option of purchasing a commemorative mrpsport T-shirt upon entry at a cost R250. There will be no refunds or T-shirt swapping.
• It is important to note that your ‘Race The Comrades Legends’ finish will not count towards an official Comrades Marathon finish.

All results will be published on the official Comrades Marathon website. ‘Race The Comrades Legends’ will archive and present all the results from all the distances entered. You will compete over the standard age categories; under 35 years and over 35 years which are segmented by 5-year age intervals.

The results will also be fully available in the Comrades Marathon app where you can subscribe to finish notifications for the runners you want to follow. You will also receive interesting statistical results comparing your performance to selected Legends of the Comrades Marathon.

You will receive a medal once you have finished running your route for the entered distance in ‘Race The Comrades Legends’. You will receive an awesome virtual personalised medal by email that you can share on your social media platforms, as well as a special edition real “Race The Comrades Legends” medal.

You will be updated on the details of the medal distribution by email. You will also be emailed a certificate once you have finished your run for your chosen ‘Race The Comrades Legends’ distance; as well as the option to purchase a printed certificate after the event which will be sent with your medal.

Winn says, “We welcome everyone to be a part of ‘Race The Comrades Legends’. This is one of those innovations that is not just geared towards runners but also their families, friends, the nation and the world at large, to be part of the Comrades spirit and share in the camaraderie and joy of the world’s greatest ultramarathon.”

Winn adds, “As always, we expect that our athletes will take the necessary precautions and observe the relevant constraints of the National Lockdown and adhere to social distancing norms, no matter which country you are in. However, this is one race in which we wish to unite South Africa and the world in one amazing virtual event.”

For more information, visit comrades.com.

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