Strong fields will line up in both the men’s and women’s races at the world’s biggest ultra-marathon in Kwazulu-Natal this weekend.
Local athletes will take on a strong contingent of international visitors at the 98th edition of the Comrades Marathon, a ‘down’ run between Pietermaritzburg and Durban on Sunday.
We take a look at five of the top contenders for the men’s and women’s titles.
Men
Tete Dijana (South Africa)
One of the country’s most consistent ultra-marathon runners, Dijana will target his third Comrades win after securing victory in 2022 and 2023.
In 2023, he set the ‘down’ run record of 5:13:58, and though that mark should be safe on a longer course this weekend, if Dijana is at his best he will be difficult to beat.
Piet Wiersma (Netherlands)
At the age of 27, Wiersma is one of the younger individuals in the elite field, but he has proved his ability in recent years.
A former bronze medallist at the 100km World Championships, the Dutch athlete finished second on his Comrades debut in 2023 and last year he went one better by winning the ‘up’ run.
Bongmusa Mthembu (South Africa)
One of the best ultra runners South Africa has ever produced, Mthembu has earned 10 Comrades gold medals and, remarkably, has finished in the top three on seven occasions.
A three-time winner of the race, and a former winner of the Two Oceans ultra-marathon in Cape Town, the 41-year-old athlete has the experience to outclass a strong field.
Edward Mothibi (South Africa)
Another veteran athlete with a wealth of experience, Mothibi flaunted his consistency by finishing in the top four at Comrades on four occasions between 2018 and 2023.
The winner of the ‘up’ run in 2019, he has also previously found success on the ‘down’ run, and he will fancy his chances of putting up a fight once again.
Degefa Lafebo (Ethiopia)
As strong as they are over the standard marathon distance, Ethiopian athletes are not known for their ultra-distance prowess, but Lafebo is an exception.
He earned gold medals at Two Oceans in 2023 and 2024, and last year he went on to secure third place at Comrades, and he should be in the hunt near the front of the field.
Women
Gerda Steyn (South Africa)
Comrades is unpredictable, and anything can happen, but few bookies will give anything better than even odds for Steyn to win again.
After winning her sixth successive Two Oceans title earlier this year, she will target her fourth Comrades victory in defence of the ‘down’ run title she earned in 2023 when she set the record of 5:44:54.
Alexandra Morozova (Russia)
If anyone has the pedigree to put up a fight against Steyn, it’s Morozova, who has been the most consistent elite woman at Comrades over the last decade.
Between 2017 and 2024 she earned six gold medals, winning the race in 2022, and Morozova has the experience and the ability to cause an upset against the pre-race favourite.
Caitriona Jennings (Ireland)
A former bronze medallist at the 100km World Championships, Jennings has been a regular feature at Comrades in recent years, finishing third in 2019, fifth in 2023 and seventh last year.
The 44-year-old former Olympic marathon runner, who was also seventh at the Two Oceans last season, will be confident of challenging for her fourth Comrades gold medal.
Courtney Olsen (United States)
Holding down a full-time job in the banking industry, and managing a team of competitive runners, Olsen doesn’t have much time as she’d like to focus on training.
But she proved her class last year by finishing third on debut on the ‘up’ run and she went on to break the 50-mile (80.46km) world record later in the season.
Irvette van Zyl (South Africa)
Van Zyl has found some good form this year after bouncing back from injury, and she will line up among the contenders on her Comrades debut.
The SA 50km record holder has finished second behind Steyn on three occasions at Two Oceans, and as one of the country’s most experienced distance runners, she should make her presence felt.
