ENTRIES FOR 2026 COMRADES MARATHON TO OPEN FOR GREEN NUMBER CLUB & CMA MEMBER ATHLETES
The Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) takes pleasure in announcing that entries for the 2026 edition of the Comrades Marathon will open on Monday 27 October 2025 at 12h00, with the first week of the entry process reserved for Green Number Club runners and CMA Members. Entries for all other aspirant Comrades Marathon runners will open one week later, on Monday 3 November at 10h00, and the overall entry period will close on 28 November, or earlier if the entry cap of 22,000 is reached before that date. Runners should take note that this will be the only entry window for the 2026 race.
This is the second year that Green Numbers are being offered the opportunity to enter first, after the introduction of this exclusive early entry window before the 2025 edition of the race, and this year sees the early entry offer extended to CMA Members for the first time. This offer honours the dedication and perseverance of those athletes who have achieved a permanent Green Number after completing the Comrades Marathon 10 times (or by earning five gold medals or winning the race three times). It is also a nod of thanks to those who sign up as CMA Members, which gives Comrades Runners and Comrades Volunteers the opportunity to become more involved in the Comrades Marathon while enjoying exclusive offers and events.
CMA General Manager Alain Dalais says, “We are incredibly proud of our Green Number Club members and inspired by their commitment to and passion for the Comrades Marathon. Similarly, we value and appreciate our CMA Members, who take a greater interest in everything to do with the event, and as a token of appreciation to all Green Number Club athletes and CMA Members, for their many years of loyalty and dedication to The Ultimate Human Race, the early entry window is reserved for them. CMA Members should note that only those who signed up for or renewed their annual membership by 23 October will qualify for this early entry window for next year’s race.”
The Entry Process
Online entries can be done via the Comrades Marathon website (www.comrades.com) or on the Comrades Marathon app. The application process is straightforward, and the CMA team is available to assist with any queries. Welcome news for the Comrades Marathon community is that the entry fees for the 2026 race remain unchanged.
“In our continuing effort to make the race accessible to as many runners as we can, we have kept the entry fees the same for the last three years, meaning that runners will pay the same entry fee as in 2023, 2024 and 2025,” says Dalais. “Also, as further reward for runners who have shown an exceptional commitment to the Comrades Marathon, the entry fee is waived for holders of 25 or more Comrades medals.”
The entry fees will be as follows:
- South African 2026 Entrants R1200
- Rest of African 2026 Entrants R2000
- International 2026 Entrants R4500
Runners can choose the option to pay the entry fee in one immediate instalment, or in two instalments: 50% on entering and the remaining 50% by the end of February 2026. Another aid to runners who want to enter the race is the continuation of the Comrades Runners’ Relief Fund, an initiative that allows up to 1500 disadvantaged athletes to apply for a reduced entry fee of up to 50%. Terms and conditions apply, and more details are available on the official Comrades website.
Qualification and Substitutions
The qualification period for the 2026 Comrades Marathon is from 9 June 2025 (the day after the 2025 Comrades Marathon) to 4 May 2026. The qualifying criteria for next year’s Comrades Marathon remain unchanged, requiring runners to complete an officially timed standard 42.2km marathon in under five hours. (Other distances and required times will be available on the Comrades Marathon website.) The closing date for submission of qualifying details, including seeding upgrade requests and club and license information, is 4 May 2026.
“Runners should also note that the substitution process, for those runners who have entered but then wish to relinquish their entry to another runner, will run over the months of March and April 2026. The window for withdrawals will run from 16 to 30 March 2026, followed by the window for securing the substitute entry, running from 1 to 15 April 2026,” says Dalais. “The athlete substituting in will pay the full 2026 race entry fee to the Comrades Marathon Association, while the withdrawing athlete will be charged an administrative fee of 15% of their entry fee, and will thus be refunded 85% of their entry fee. No money or vouchers will be exchanged between athletes.”
Getting Ready for 2026
The 2026 Comrades Marathon will be the 99th edition of the iconic race, and the 50th Up Run from Durban to Pietermaritzburg. (The race alternates direction each year.) The race will start in front of the Durban City Hall at 5:30am and finish 12 hours later at the Hollywoodbets Scottsville Racecourse, with a race distance of approximately 87km. The 2026 race campaign is Ska Fela Moya, which is Setswana for Don’t Give Up, and captures the fierce determination that is part of the South African culture, and something that all Comrades Marathon runners embrace.
