20,000 Runners Compete in World's Largest Ultramarathon in South Africa

At dawn on June 14, more than 20,000 runners gathered outside Durban City Hall in South Africa for the Comrades Marathon — the world's oldest and largest ultramarathon, with a 99-year history.

First held in 1921, the race covers 54.6 miles (88 km) from Pietermaritzburg to Durban. The following year, the course was reversed to an uphill direction. Since then, the route has alternated annually, pausing only during World War II and the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, runners had to ascend approximately 1,800 meters (5,900 feet) on the way to Pietermaritzburg.

Initially, the Comrades was restricted to white men. In 1921, 34 people entered and 16 finished. Only in 1975 did the race officially end racial segregation and open to women. Robert Mtshali became the first Black runner to finish in 1935, but he was only given unofficial recognition. In 1989, Sam Tshabalala became the first Black winner.

“People in South African sports circles at the time believed that if they began to dismantle segregation in some minor sports, it would show that South Africa was not the backward, racist place it was thought to be,” said journalist Ryan Lenora Brown, who has covered the race since 2017.

In 1976, television broadcasts brought the Comrades to the public. Images of delivery man Hoseah Tjale running alongside professional Bruce Fordyce — who won eight consecutive titles from 1981 — captivated South Africans. “Those scenes from the 1980s — a white runner sharing a water bottle with a Black runner — were small gestures but huge in a divided society,” Brown said.

William Seleka, 38, a refrigeration technician, started running in March 2025 after a divorce. He trained at least 10 km daily, and up to 50 km on Saturdays with the Run Alex club. “I used to think running the Comrades was crazy, but now I'm doing it,” he said before the race.

Throughout the course, spectators lined the route, cheering enthusiastically. Many families barbecued along the road, and running clubs set up tents with supplies. At the halfway point, Seleka changed shoes but encountered problems. “I'm not a churchgoer, but that day I started singing. I don't know where those songs came from,” he recalled.

This year's race had three start waves at 5 a.m., 5:15 a.m., and 5:30 a.m. Approximately 91% of runners finished, according to The Running Mann blog. One-third of the finishers crossed the line in the final hour. A moving moment saw the last pacemaker, Shahieda Thungo, finish at 11:56:34, bringing dozens of runners with her.

Some runners broke down in tears when they missed the 12-hour cut-off. Seleka finished at 10:30:49, thinking of his sister who had kidney failure in 2018. “Everything changed when I started. I told myself that today's pain is for my sister,” he said, adding that he has already planned to run next year.

“If you are going through a lot, once you find your reason, it becomes a mission. After finishing the Comrades, it's a new chapter,” Seleka shared.