Comrades Marathon 2011 Officially Launched
The official 2011 Comrades Marathon was was officially launched in Johannesburg on Thursday 26 August 2010. After the hugely successful 2010 Comrades Marathon, which was also the 85th celebration of the world’s biggest ultra-marathon organisers have expressed their satisfaction with the growing interest in the event, not only among South Africans, but all over the world.
The 2010 Comrades Marathon amassed the second largest field in the history of the race, only surpassed by the millennium race in 2000.
The race also set new records for international (5%), women (24%) and novice (29%) entries, while organisers expect the Comrades Marathon to be officially recognised as the world’s biggest ultra-marathon by the Guinness Book of Records! It is therefore no surprise that the Comrades Marathon Association is upbeat about the future of The Ultimate Human Race, which has captured the imagination of athletes from all continents of the world. Entries for the 2011 Comrades Marathon, an ‘Up-Run’ from Durban to Pietermaritzburg on Sunday 29 May 2011, opens on Wednesday 1 September 2010 for all athletes, novices and former Comrades athletes included.
Athletes can enter at all Mr Price Home, Sport and Clothing outlets countrywide as well as posting their completed entry forms and proof of payment to the Comrades Marathon office in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal. Entries can also be hand delivered to Comrades Marathon House in Pietermaritzburg.
Entry forms will be obtainable from local running clubs, provincial federations, Sportsman Warehouse outlets and Mr Price outlets or can be requested from the Comrades Marathon office in Pietermaritzburg. Entries will open at 09h00 on the 1 September 2010; this includes online entries on www.comrades.com, entries at Mr Price stores and manual ntries.
Comrades athletes and aspiring entrants are reminded that entry numbers will be limited to a maximum of 18,000 entries and that entry requirements must be strictly adhered to at all times – these are clearly spelled out on the entry form. Entries will be taken on a first come first serve basis. The CMA is confident that it can repeat the successes of the 2010 Comrades Marathon and expects a surge in interest from novices from all over the world, but mostly from South African athletes who have rediscovered the lure of the Comrades Marathon as a national icon and one of the “must do’s” for sportsmen and women.
