COMRADES MARATHON ANNOUNCES ATHLETES' SEEDING FOR SAFER 2025 START

With just under three weeks to go before the 98th edition of the Comrades Marathon, on Sunday 8 June, The Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) has completed the process of allocating runners to start groups and seeding batches. Based on their qualifying times, runners have been divided into one of the two starts – Group 1, with Batches A to J, which will start at 5:45am, and Group 2, with Batches K to S, which will start 15 minutes later at 6:00am. There will be approximately 12,500 runners in Group 1, and approximately 10,000 runners in Group 2, while each batch will have around 1500 runners.

Athletes who have qualified to run the 2025 race can now check their seeding for the start of the race by going to the Comrades website, and searching for their names in the entry list by clicking HERE.

With 24,163 entries received and well over 22,000 qualifying runners expected on the start line, this will be the largest ever Comrades Down Run from Pietermaritzburg to Durban. (The largest previous Down Run was in 2018, with 19,047 starters.) To ensure manageable movement and enhanced safety at the start venue, as well as in the opening kilometres of the race when light conditions will be lower, the CMA decided earlier this year to split the 2025 Start into two groups.

Runners’ seedings have been determined by ranking each qualifying participant from fastest to slowest qualifiers, and then dividing the runners into the two start groups based on the following times:
• Group 1: Runners who have qualified under four hours (4:00) in a standard 42.2km marathon (or the equivalent over a greater distance).
• Group 2: Runners with qualification times exceeding four hours 30 minutes (4:30) in a standard marathon (or the equivalent over a greater distance). There will be approximately 10,000 runners in this start group.

Those runners with a qualifying time from four hours (4:00) to four hours 30 minutes (4:30) for a standard marathon (or the equivalent over a longer distance) have been divided between the two groups, based on improving safety and flow of runners throughout the start and through to Tumble Inn, around the 12km mark.

As is tradition at the Comrades, there are selected groups who are seeded to begin in specially allocated batches in one of the two Start Groups:
• Group 1, Batch A: Elite Athletes & Contenders: Those competing for awards, including gold medallists, age group contenders and nominated elite team members, will lead the race out of Pietermaritzburg.
• Group 2, Batch K: Louis Massyn’s Group: In honour of Comrades stalwart Louis Massyn aiming to earn an unprecedented 50th Comrades finisher’s medal, he and a small group of running friends will start at the front of the Group 2.
• Group 2, Batch L: Green Numbers, Yellow Numbers & Charity Runners: This second batch of Group 2 is for those runners with 10 or more Comrades medals (Green Numbers), those going for their 10th finish (Yellow Numbers) and those running as part of the CMA’s Race4Charity initiative (except for Green, Yellow or charity runners whose qualifying times allow them to line up in Group 1).

The race numbers allocated to each runner are to be worn front and back, will be coloured according to their start group – purple for Group 1 and orange for Group 2 – and will have the start batch letter in front of the number. Runners should note that there will be no Batches I or O, as these letters are not being used to avoid any possible confusion between letters and numerals. Runners will only be allowed to line up in their allocated start group and batch, or a batch further back within their allocated start group, if they so choose – for example, if two clubmates or a couple would like to run together. However, moving up to a higher group or batch will not be allowed.

Runners will only be allowed to move back from Group 1 to Group 2 if they request in writing to info@comrades.com that they would like to move, specifying which Group 2 batch they would like to move to. No Group 1 runners may join Batch K, and only Green Number, Yellow Number and Race4Charity runners from Group 1 may apply to join Batch L. All other applicants asking to move must select a batch from M to S. Due to safety considerations, limits will be applied to the size of each batch. The deadline for submission of these written requests is 17h00 (SA time) on Monday 26 May 2025, and a successful application will cost the runner R200, to be paid at Registration.

Understanding the Seeding
Comrades Marathon General Manager Alain Dalais says that the seeding allocations may seem surprising to some athletes, given that the batches run down to the letter S, whereas previous editions of the Comrades Marathon only went to Batch H. “Runners should not be alarmed if they receive a much lower seeding letter than previous years, for example an R seeding instead of an H seeding. This is simply due to improving safety by reducing the numbers of runners per batch, and increasing the number of batches,” he says.

“Runners should keep in mind that the two-start system will allow even the lowest-seeded runners at the back of Start Group 2 to cross the start line sooner than in previous years. By comparison, with a single start for over 22,000 runners, it would take around 18 minutes for the last runners to clear the start line, but this year’s two-start system will save you time at the start. All runners will still have 12 hours to complete the race, whichever start group you are in.”

A last word from Dalais is that “This is a trial year for Comrades, using a staggered start for the first time, and our principal focus is on the safety of all runners, decreasing congestion on the road and giving runners as much open road as possible, to run safely and comfortably, and enhancing their race-day experience. We wish everyone a safe and carefree run, and hope you achieve your individual objectives on the day.”

Reminder to All Runners
Seedings will be posted on the Comrades website in the entry list by clicking HERE . Runners are invited to visit the website and use the search function at the top right to find their names and check their seeding. In the event of any queries, runners can send an email to info@comrades.com. “The CMA would also like to request club secretaries or team managers to assist those runners who do not have access to the website, in finding their seeding and sending any enquiries to the CMA office,” adds Dalais.

For more information, runners are invited to read the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) blog about Seeding and Starts HERE .