Newsletter June 2009

Comrades 2009 - Wrap Up

What an exciting year we had, in organising the 2009 race. Many firsts were achieved this year, which just goes to show that even in 84 years of the Comrades Marathon, that there is always room for improvement and growth. To mention some firsts – completing the finish build up in 3 days, not 3 weeks; a Zimbabwean Mens Champion, first winner from Africa (excluding South Africa); live video streaming of the finish on our website, and the individual runners footage that was available online a day after the race.

An almost perfect day to say the least, comments we have received from runners and spectators alike is that this year was arguably the best ever Comrades Marathon. Obviously where there are highs, there are lows, and we have a couple, but not many. One to mention is the fact that after the race the route took longer than anticipated to clean, but nevertheless this was accomplished.

We would like to thank all runners, volunteers and organisations for their continued support of the Comrades Marathon. Without this The Ultimate Human Race would not be possible, and we look forward to 2010. Last but not least, a special thanks to our valued sponsors, suppliers and service providers for their continued support.

Goodie Bag

The total value of the items packed in the goodie bag your received was valued at approximately R145.00 per bag. We encouraged you to give us feedback by completing a short survey. Click here to complete the Goodie Bag Survey.

2009 Comrades Marathon Stats

Entry Stats

Novice Entry Stats

Starters Stats

Finishers Stats

Race Results

The Official Race Results Brochure will be published and posted to all runners late in July 2009. You may ask, what takes so long, it simple, Drug testing takes approximately 5 weeks to receive accurate and complete results, and then the CMA requires a couple of weeks for printing and posting.

2010 Announcement

The overwhelming response for entries for the 2009 Comrades Marathon is hopefully a sign of the excellent interest in the Comrades Marathon. The 17% increase in race entries this year must be attributed to the extensive marketing campaign undertaken by the CMA, both locally and abroad.

The 2010 Comrades Marathon also coincides with the 85th anniversary of The Ultimate Human Race. 2010 will see the race run from Pietermaritzburg to Durban, a down run. The CMA will enter into an extensive marketing campaign, through various mediums, as well as road shows across South Africa. The CMA has also put in place a comprehensive international marketing campaign, the first step of which has been achieved with the appointment of International Ambassadors across Europe, South and North America, and Australia.

Entry numbers for the 2010 and 85th anniversary of the Comrades Marathon will be capped at 20000 runners, and no extensions will be entered into. Thus making the 2010 run a special event as the CMA has never had a cut off number in the past. We are confident that this number will be achieved very quickly as in 2000 we received 24000 entries. Therefore we urge all runners and potential runners that wish to run in 2010 to take careful note of the entry process and the closing dates. We therefore request that you enter early to avoid disappointment. Entries will be done in 2 phases.

Phase 1

1 September 2009 entries will open to all previous Comrades Runners ONLY. Phase 1 will be capped at 15000 entrants and will close on 31 October 2009, or whichever comes first (eg. if we receive 15000 entries by the 10 October 2009 then no further entries will be accepted).

Phase 2

1 November 2009 entries will open to all Novices ONLY and will be capped at 5000. Entries will close on 30 November 2009, or whichever comes first (eg. if we received 5000 novice entries by 15 November 2009 then no further entries will be accepted).

Total number of entries will be capped at 20000.

NO ENTRIES WILL BE TAKEN IN 2010!

Qualifying period for 2010 will be from 24 May 2009 to 26 April 2010. Runners who finished the 2009 Comrades Marathon can use their finishing time as a 2010 qualifier.

As in 2009, runners will be able to enter before they qualify. This means while all entries will have to meet the entry criteria above, runners will still be allowed to qualify in official qualifying races up until the month of April, with the 26th April as the final closing date. Upon qualification, runners simply need to give the time and details of the qualifying race through to the CMA office. Upon receiving the qualifying information the runner’s entry will be confirmed.

Failure to meet or submit your qualify details will result in your entry being rejected and your details will be removed from our database, which means that you will not receive a postcard, goodie bag or runners t-shirt. Under no circumstances will refunds be made.

Club & Licenses Information for 2010

(for South African athletes only)

With the new opening and closing dates of entries for Comrades 2010, athletes will not be in possession of their 2010 licenses by the time of entry, however athletes will still have to comply with the rule that they must be licensed through an officially registered athletics club affiliated to Athletics South Africa in order to run the 2010 Comrades Marathon. As with the new qualifying criteria, you will be able to enter for Comrades 2010 before having received your 2010 license. You will however have to submit your club name and license number to the CMA before or by the 26th April. Failure to submit these details will result in your entry being rejected. Please note that the CMA will verify your license details with your club.

Race Day for 2010 Comrades Marathon is Sunday 30 May.

Your Comrades Race on DVD - Sponsored by Flora

MySports produced a personal Comrades Race DVD for you. The DVD contains your race at the following points: Camperdown, Halfway, Winston Park, Cowies Hill, Mayville and from 4 different cameras at the Sahara Stadium Kingsmead in Durban.

On top of this you will get a 5 minute highlight video of the Comrades Marathon. On the DVD you will also find a 10 minute course video which shows the 89km course between Pietermaritzburg and Durban.

How to view and/or order your special DVD?

1. Go to the results of the Comrades Marathon on http://results.comrades.com
2. Type the name or race number of the runner
3. Click on the camera icon to view the footage. If you are happy with this and want to purchase the footage,
4. Click on the button which says "ORDER THIS RACE ON DVD".

Don't wait too long, this offer is available for a limited time only.

“This is my Story”

In following on with the 2009 campaign, we at the CMA would love to hear about your personal Comrades story, so if you feel that you have something interesting to share with other runners from personal achievement, or wish to make a comment or statement about Comrades, please feel free to mail us at info@comrades.com all feedback or comments are welcome. In order for us at the CMA to improve The Ultimate Human Race it is important for us to know what you the runner is thinking or suggesting. All comments or suggestions will be taken into consideration.

Spirit of Comrades Awards - Sponsored by GOLD FIELDS

The Gold Fields Spirit of Comrades Award is presented to a maximum of three people per annum in recognition of individuals who are esteemed to embody the “Spirit of Comrades”.

The criteria are fairly wide but as a guideline the following factors may be considered:-

• The candidate will have run the Comrades Marathon, most probably on numerous occasions.
• The candidate may in some way be associated as an integral player in the history of the Comrades Marathon.
• Most importantly the candidate may have exhibited a particular act of selflessness, sacrifice, courage or perseverance in a particular race or over a period of years.
• You will be able to nominate your candidate for the Gold Fields Spirit of Comrades Awards by completing the nomination form.

Awards will be awarded at the discretion of The Board.

Click here to download the Nomination Form.

Inspiring Story

The Comrades Marathon had three runners who all completed the race on 24 May. Nokufa Evelina Tshabalala, Masibulele Gcabo and Willie Engelbrecht, who were selected to represent Positive Heroes in “The Ultimate Human Race.”

These three inspirational people showed, that by taking part in ultra-marathons, that people living with HIV can achieve fantastic goals with the right determination and positive attitude to life.

Masibulele Gcabo finished 7:56:59
Willie Engelbrecht finished 8:56:59 (improved 2008 time 11:59:01)
Nokufa Evelina Tshabalala finished 10:00:04 (2008 time 09:55:25)

Closing

In closing we would like to thank all runners that took part this year and congratulate all winners and finishers, as well as all runners that did not complete the race in the specified time.

We hope to see you all again next year. Just to line up at the start says a lot about you, you are all champions.