The training is done and dusted and here are Coach Neville’s key tips to get you safely through the down run between Pietermaritzburg and Durban for the 2025 Comrades marathon.
Comrades wave start
Probably the biggest concern that runners have is the new wave start system, which is a new feature for the Comrades marathon. I think that this is a trial run for the 100th running of the Comrades in 2027, as it should enable a larger field with a smoother and safer start for runners.
The wave system essentially means that there are two starts, with Group 1 starting at 5.45am and the second wave with Group 2 starting at 6am. This means that the old batch seedings have changed and that there is a different batch system.
I do think that this system will work well, although there may be some glitches for the first time, but it is similar to what the big city marathons do to cope with large fields.
The other change is that there will be no longer be the iconic 12hrs cut-off gun, that was always a dramatic and emotional spectacle. It is sad and the drama will be missed, but overall I think that the wave start will work well, and runners need not fear losing as much time at the start as in the past.
Less stress for cut-off guns
The good news is that the cut-offs this year look much better, and this is new thinking on this. In the past, slow runners would be stressed out, pushing too hard in the first half, with the halfway mark gun sometimes ending the dream of a finish and a medal. This year runners should be able to pace themselves better for a stronger second half and also enjoy the run more.
Getting through the final week
The week of the Comrades marathon is stressful in many ways, as runners are nervous and excited. With the training done, there is little to do except keep ticking over, and it becomes a mind game. Ideally you want to rest well, but still do some light running to keep the legs loose. This is my plan for my runners for the final week:
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 5km easy pace run (Silver and Bill Rowan runners can do light intervals)
Wednesday: 4km easy
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 15 min easy jog to loosen up
Sunday: Comrades
Avoiding sickness
In the final week, the biggest fear is of falling sick. Last year, one of my silver medalist runners from 2023, David Holliday, became sick in the last few days before the Comrades marathon. He was driving to Durban on the Friday, two days before the race, when we decided that this was madness. David turned the car around, drove back home and sadly watched the race on TV. But even worse would have been to line up at the start when sick.
The best is to practise good hygiene, do social distancing where possible, and boost your immune systems
Covid taught us the benefits of avoiding people and wearing masks, and I have Comrades runners that in this last week wear a face mask when going out to do shopping. The hardest is for those with families, as children may get sick. The best is to boost your immune system and avoid people as much as possible, but without getting paranoid. Some of my runners go for the “vitamin bomb”, which is a drip containing vitamins. This can be done at some pharmacies.
A previous article of mine Final Countdown to Comrades also has some tips on this.
Travelling, Comrades expo etc
Most runners will arrive there on the Thursday or Friday, and some will arrive on Saturday. The Comrades expo in Durban has a great vibe, but be careful not to spend too much time there as at this stage you want to stay off your feet. Get your race pack, buy something from the shop to remember your special day, take a look around, and then get out again.
Make a checklist
A checklist will help you avoid what happened to me in 1987, when I flew down the day before the Comrades marathon, and realised that I had somehow only packed in one running shoe. I had to borrow spare shoes from another runner that were a size too large, DOH! Make a checklist and mine is:
- Race gear, warm gear for before and after the race, shoes, cap, sun glasses, sun block, socks. The start can be chilly and I like to wear a cheap long sleeve tee shirt that I can dump at a water table once I have warmed up.
- Your energy supplements (don’t be a runner that buys stuff at the expo that you have never used before), sunblock, Imodium’s, etc
- Charger for your watch (you don’t want your watch battery packing up during the race)
Plan your trip to the start and back from the finish
With the start and finish being in different cities, good logistics are important. Plan your route to the start, check where the tog bag drop off zone is, if you are using it. The finish is equally important, and make sure that you know the layout and where your club tent will be.
Running the perfect Comrades marathon
The three biggest factors that affect how well you will run are pacing, nutrition and hydration. If you can nail these three, then you are in for a great run.
Pacing, and using Plan A, B and C
The most common mistake is starting too fast. The excitement and vibe at the start is something special, but it is all too easy to get carried away with the excitement and blow your race early on.
It helps to figure out your possible finish time, based on your marathon time and your training. Once that is done, you can use the Comrades pace bands that are sold at the expo. For those who have Garmin watches, a great idea is to use the RacePro feature if you have a gpx file for the route (But see my comments below on GPS and not relying solely on it). Here is the link for Garmin RacePro
Having a Plan A, B and C helps as we sometimes just give up if things aren’t going as well as we had hoped for. But having a Plan B and C, then means simply adjusting your thinking, and doing the best that you can.
Plan A is your best possible time, if all goes well on the day.
Plan B is the time that you are still happy with if things don’t go well, and still a good finish.
Plan C is for when everything seems to go wrong on the day. In this case, the plan is to finish and get your medal. Unless there are medical reasons not to carry on.
Use the distance board and don’t rely on your GPS
GPS watches are a great tool, and you certainly can use it well. But a key thing to remember is that a GPS watch isn’t completely accurate and can be out by about 30 metres over one kilometre. Runners doing the Comrades marathon that rely solely on their watch distance, will find that the watch over reads by about 700m for the race. At first the discrepancy is minor, but later in the race it becomes more noticeable. And if you are using your watch for pacing, you will start to actually fall behind your goal pace.
This means that you still need to keep an eye on the distance marker boards, as they are accurate. The distance marker boards are unusual in that they give the distance in reverse order, showing for instance 70km to go etc. This can at first be quite frightening, but later on it can be uplifting when you hit the single figures.
The first 30km are key
How you run the first 30km (basically the first third of the Comrades marathon), will determine how well you run the last two-thirds of the race. Running the first 30km cautiously will pay off later, and this means that the pace should be relaxed and feel easy. It should feel like the long club runs, that are social, with everyone relaxed. If you are disciplined and let other runners go flying past you early on, you will be rewarded with a stronger second half and pass them later again.
Using a run/walk strategy
Very few runners can run the Comrades non-stop, and I have only managed that once on my best run of 6hrs 38 minutes. Even on my other sub 7 hour runs, I had some short walks.
For most runners, the best strategy is to use a run/walk strategy from early on, before the fatigue really begins. By doing this, you will extend the distance to your “collapse point”, which is the point at which you struggle to run at all. It means less pain as well, as you will get further down the road before you start to struggle.
Some runners will use a set strategy of fixed times for running and walking, but I prefer a more flexible strategy where at first the walks are on sections of the climbs. It is on the climbs where we expend the greatest energy, so they are a good place to conserve energy with some walks. Later on you may start doing walk breaks at the water tables, which enables you to take in more nutrition and hydrate well.
The main thing is KEEP MOVING, as the clock is ticking. Too many runners waste precious time standing at the water tables. It is better to walk than to stand still, and the only time that you shouldn’t be moving is if you need help at a medical tent with massages etc.
Coping with cramps
Cramps are perhaps feared the most on the Comrades marathon, but there are some strategies that can help. The first is to try avoid cramps, and running conservatively and using a run/walk strategy will help you to avoid it.
But if you do feel cramps coming (it often starts with a warning tingle in the muscles), then you can try taking Cramp Not gels. I have found them to be very effective and you can buy them at places like Dischem.
It is also worth carrying antacids such as Rennies or Eno. Many runners (myself included), have found that taking antacids helps prevent the cramps. I have found that taking them helps when I start to feel fatigued and feel that warning tingle in the muscle. I have sucked on Rennies tablets at times like that. I have also carried Eno sachets and then drink it with water at water tables, and that also seems to work well.
It seems that it is the calcium carbonate in the antacids that help. I am unaware of any research on this, but at some time I would like to try taking calcium carbonate when I feel a cramp coming, and see if that works.
When all else fails and you feel the cramp starting, stop running and walk. Cramps are sometimes triggered when there is a change in terrain, and may for instance strike as you start a climb. If you feel there is a cramp coming, try walking instead of running, until it eases. Don’t sit down as you will find it hard to stand up again without cramping more. If you can’t walk, stand still and try massage the muscle to release it. But don’t try this if it means bending down, as that can trigger further cramps in other muscles. If you are at this stage, try get to a medical tent for a massage. Icing the muscle can also help.
Running the down route
Although it is the down route from Pietermaritzburg to Durban, don’t let this fool you, as there are several really nasty climbs. It is the combination of distance, climbs and drops that make the Comrades such a punishing route.
I am just going to mention the key landmarks and strategies for them, and for an excellent description of the 2025 Comrades route, you can view the YouTube clip by multiple Comrades winner, Gerda Steyn, on her Own My Run channel. The link is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9R4RW28oV4
The Comrades website also has a cool interactive route map and the link is https://www.comrades.com/race-info/route-map
The first section out of Pietermaritzburg is in the dark, with the first landmark being the drop down Polly Shorrts after about 8km. This is followed by the drop down Little Pollys and then a gradual pull to the highest point of the route near Umlaas road, at about 20km.
The first big spectator point is at Camperdown and then soon after at Cato Ridge. Don’t let the vibe and atmosphere excite you, as it is all too easy to start picking up the pace here. For many runners, there is where they will see their supporters for the first time.
Runners then head through Bayat’s store area and on to the first big climb of the day, up Inchanga Hill at about 40km. Inchanga guards the halfway mark at Drummond, and it is a steep and winding climb of about 2.5km. It is here that runners who started too fast will suffer. Using a run/walk strategy up Inchanga to conserve energy is the best method for most runners.
You then drop down to Drummond to the halfway mark, and you need to be careful and not try to make up time on this drop. Running too fast down this section of road is risky, as once you are through Drummond, you start one of the longest climbs of the day. This is a long pull of about 7km out of Drummond, from about 45-52km, up past the Alverstone tower. Remember by now you already have a marathon and some change in your legs, so this will be hard.
This is followed by some nice running with the drop down Botha’s Hill. The next big landmark is Fields Hill at about 65km, and unlike the other landmarks, this is a downhill. But by now your legs are toast, and while normally you would fly down such a 3km drop, at this stage your legs will be tender. The trick is not to fly down it, but take it cautiously, and try save your quads as much as possible. It is quite common to see runners walking on this downhill, which gives one an idea of how sore runners are by now.
Having safely negotiated Fields Hill you enter Pinetown, and head up the dreaded Cowies hill. The climb is about 1km and there are usually TV cameras at the top. Don’t try fight Cowies, it will smack you! Alternate running and walking and know that it is the last of the long climbs.
The route profile after Cowies is misleading as it appears to be downhill, but there are several tough bumps to get through such as Westville, 45th Cutting and Tollgate. These are short, but tough and steep. But soon you are on the highway, counting down the last single figures to the finish. The highway is boring (I ran the old route back in 1984 and although it was hillier near the end, it was more interesting over the last kays).
The final two kilometres are thankfully flat and a huge crowd will await you at the finish with the new street finish.
Savour every moment, as tired and sore, you cross the line having made many memories and knowing that you are a Comrades runner!
