Comrades Marathon 2026 reveals 26 official pacesetters for 50th Up Run

The 99th Comrades Marathon, the world's largest and oldest ultramarathon, will be held on Sunday, June 14, 2026, on the "Up Run" route from Durban to Pietermaritzburg. This year's event marks the 50th running of the direction from the coast to the interior, with 21,633 qualified entrants set to tackle the 85.77-kilometer course, the shortest distance in the race's history.

The logistical scale of the event is immense, involving 5,000 volunteers manning 49 refreshment stations stocked with over two million sachets of water, 900 pockets of oranges, and 1,1 tons of chocolate. Medical support will be provided by 191 paramedics, doctors, and nurses stationed along the route and at the finish. To manage congestion, runners will begin in three separate starting groups, with the elite field of 131 athletes setting off at 5 a.m.

A key feature for many participants will be the guidance of the official pacesetters, known as "bus drivers." The Comrades Marathon Association has selected 26 pacesetters to lead nine different groups, targeting specific medal finish times from a sub-7:30 Silver Medal to the final sub-12-hour Vic Clapham Medal bus. The experienced team, which includes nine Green...