Fifty-five famously fierce miles. Five punishing climbs. The merciless clock. Blisters, sweat and tears. The Comrades Marathon may be the world's greatest race, but it's not for sissies.
The world's oldest and largest marathon happens to take place in KwaZulu-Natal. The famous 55 mile ultramarathon alternates between an 'up' run or a 'down' run every year. The race is run over an extremely tough course which can be best described as "The Big Five". The Big Five are uphills on the route of the Comrades Marathon and, on the up run they appear in the following order: Cowies Hill, Field's Hill, Botha's Hill, Inchanga, and finally, Polly Shortts.
On the down run there are another set of equally challenging hills, and many runners are surprised that a race described as down still has some exceptionally tough hills to climb, including Inchanga, Alverstone, Bothas Hill and Cowies Hill. The 2009 marathon will be a 'down' run so it will start in Pietermaritzburg and come to a blissful end in Durban.
Need to know? Start: 05h30 at the City Hall in Pietermaritzburg Finish: 17h30 at Sahara Stadium, Kingsmead in Durban Distance: 89km – 56 miles.
The Comrades theme is the definition of self.
Because the Comrades Marathon is not just a race, it is a definition of who you are. It dictates your lifestyle, your eating habits, your self esteem. It tests your body, your endurance, your will power. And every year it defines thousands of runners as they cover a 90 kilometre journey which makes or breaks them. Source: comrades.com