2026 Comrades Marathon distance confirmed

April 30, 2026 6

The official distance for the 99th edition of the Comrades Marathon has been confirmed.

This year’s Up Run from Durban to Pietermaritzburg will cover 85.777km, making it the shortest Up Run in recent Comrades Marathon history.

The race will take place on Sunday, 14 June 2026.

The previous shortest Up Run was 85.910km in the 2024, which also started at Durban City Hall and finished at the Scottsville Racecourse in Pietermaritzburg.

The 2026 route will be 133 metres shorter than the 2024 edition, which itself was 820 metres shorter than the 2019 Up Run, measuring 86.730km.

Comrades Marathon Race Director, Sue Forge, said the reduction in distance is mainly due to route adjustments caused by ongoing infrastructure developments in the KwaZulu-Natal.

“The ongoing roadworks have had a significant impact on the route and our planning.”

“However, thanks to the outstanding collaboration and support of the municipalities, the Road Traffic Inspectorate, Durban Metro Police and Msunduzi Traffic Police, we have been able to finalise a route that not only provides a slightly shorter distance for runners, but also improves the management of road closures, traffic flow, infrastructure removal and post-race clean-up,” she added.

The official distance for the 99th Comrades Marathon Up Run (Durban to Pietermaritzburg) on Sunday, 14 June 2026 has been confirmed as 85.777km — making it the shortest Up Run in recent history!

Route adjustments due to ongoing roadworks, including the Umlaas Road cut-through… pic.twitter.com/WtWnSj4aC1

— ComradesRace (@ComradesRace) April 30, 2026