“Ladies and gentlemen, this race is not about how fit you are. This race is how strong you are in your mind.” – podium contender and crowd favourite Ludwick Mamabolo, who has earned gold in every one of his seven finishes

“When you win you always expect to defend. But this year is another year and we must focus on that. My preparation went well and my coach and I are confident that we can run well.” – Pre-race favourite Bongmusa Mthembu, two-time winner and six-time gold medallist

“In 2016 I made a slight mistake when I let Gatebe go. It was one helluva fight in that race.” – 2015 winner and five-time gold medallist, Gift Kelehe

“This is the cream of the crop here. We have the record holder and three or four gold medallists. The winner will work for his win… that is for sure.” – Kelehe

“The prize money is still very small money. I appeal to Comrades to look at this. We need to up our game… the winner’s money is very small.” – Kelehe on the R425 000 first prize for the men’s and women’s winner

“I don’t like to talk too much. I like to run.” – Rufus Photo, three-time gold medallist

“Competition is tough and everyone is ready. If guys make mistakes I will punish them.’ – two-time gold medallist Prodigal Khumalo

“I’ve tried to fix where I’ve made mistakes. Don’t call me a rabbit again. I will be a champ. This year is my year.” – Charles Tjiane, four-time gold medallist who led the ‘Down’ Run before being overtaken with 18km to go

“I’m super excited to be back. All I’ve done in the 365 days since last year’s Comrades is think about coming back and giving it another shot. Haven’t targeted any other races because nothing seems as important as Comrades.” – British ultra star Steve Way, who finished ninth in his debut Comrades in 2017

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