Record demand for 2027 Centenary Comrades Marathon

The Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) has recorded unprecedented demand for the 2027 Comrades Marathon, with a total of 56 283 entry submissions and ballot applications received across the Centenary entry process.

The General Ballot application window closed on Tuesday, 22 September at 16:30, with 42 802 runners applying for one of the remaining places in the race.

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Historic edition

The 2027 Comrades Marathon, taking place on Sunday, 13 June 2027, will mark the historic 100th edition of the iconic ultramarathon, first run in 1921.

Extraordinary interest in the Centenary edition prompted the CMA to increase the entry cap to 28 000 athletes, making it the largest Comrades Marathon field in the event’s history.

The race will finish at the Hollywoodbets Kings Park precinct in Durban, providing additional capacity for the expanded field, spectators and Centenary activities.

According to CMA Race Director Sue Forge, “We are thrilled and humbled by the extraordinary response from the running community, both locally and internationally. We thank every runner who has secured an entry or applied for the opportunity to participate in the Centenary edition.”

“This is set to be the largest Comrades Marathon ever staged and an unforgettable celebration for our runners, spectators, volunteers and sponsors. We now look forward to the months ahead as preparations continue for this historic race.”

THREE ENTRY WINDOWS

The entry process ran from 25 August to 22 September, with three entry windows.

The first window gave Green Number-holders (athletes with 10 or more medals) as well as Yellow Numbers (athletes with nine medals and who will be going for Green), an exclusive opportunity to enter first, as reward for their proven commitment to the race.

This window saw 3 834 Greens and 732 Yellows submit their entries.

At the same time, a limited number of AmaBeadiBeadi Charity Entries were also made available. These guaranteed entries required a compulsory charitable contribution of R10 000 per entry, in addition to the applicable entry fee. A total of 1 018 Charity Entries were secured.

The second window was reserved for CMA Members who had signed up for an annual membership of the association by the 18 August 2026.

This early entry window was a nod of thanks to those who have signed up to become more involved in the Comrades Marathon, and a total of 7 897 entries were secured in this window. Together, these entry windows accounted for 13 481 confirmed entries ahead of the General Ballot.

The third and final entry window was the General Ballot, which attracted 42 802 applications. After accounting for the 13 481 entries already secured through the protected entry windows, 14 519 places were available for allocation through the initial ballot draw conducted on Wednesday, 23 September 2026.

The draw was conducted through the official entry system under independent audit supervision and in accordance with the approved ballot criteria.

Successful applicants were notified directly by email, SMS and WhatsApp following the draw.

‘Exciting time’

“This is an exciting and emotional time for our running community. While many applicants will be celebrating, others will understandably be disappointed or anxious about the outcome,” says Forge.

“We encourage applicants who were not selected in the initial draw not to lose hope. Any places arising from unsuccessful or incomplete payments will be returned to the ballot pool and allocated through a series of redraws. All unsuccessful applicants will remain eligible for these redraws automatically, and there is nothing further they need to do at this stage.”

“Further entry opportunities may also become available through the official withdrawal and substitution process in 2027. The details of this entry window will be shared at a later date,” continues Forge.

“We’d like to remind runners that the three-stage entry process has been designed to recognise the heritage and loyalty that lie at the heart of the Comrades Marathon, while managing the extraordinary demand expected for the 100th edition, in a fair and responsible manner.

“The first two protected entry windows recognised the longstanding commitment of our Green and Yellow Number holders, and CMA Members, while the ballot provided a fairer opportunity to all applying runners, notably those who do not have immediate access to the entry platform when entries open.”

PAYMENT PHASE AND POSSIBLE REDRAWS

With the ballot draw done and all initial entries allocated, the next phase of the entry process begins on Friday, 25 September, with the payment process.

• Wednesday, 23 September:

  Successful applicants may secure their entry immediately by making payment through their EasyReg dashboard. Applicants who are no longer able to participate may withdraw their application.

• Friday, 25 September:

  Automatic debit payment processing begins

• Saturday, 26 September:

  Automatic payment processing concludes

• Monday, 28 September:

  Redraw,

  if required

• Tuesday, 29 September:

  Redraw payment processing begins

• Wednesday, 30 September:

  Redraw payment processing concludes

Any ballot place not secured through successful payment by the applicable deadline will be returned to the available entry pool and allocated to another applicant through a redraw.

This process may extend beyond the initial published dates, if further redraws are required to fill places arising from unsuccessful or incomplete payments.

Applicants selected through a redraw will be contacted directly by email, SMS and WhatsApp with their payment instructions and applicable deadline.

Applicants who selected the part-payment option during their ballot application will have only 50% of the entry fee deducted if they are successful.

The remaining balance must be paid by 16:30 on 31 January 2027.

Failure to pay the balance by this deadline will result in the entry being deactivated and any amount already paid being forfeited – and that entry will then become available in a redraw.

Forge says, “Being selected in the ballot does not confirm an applicant’s entry. It gives the applicant the opportunity to secure their entry. The entry is only officially confirmed once the required payment has been successfully received. Successful applicants do not need to wait for the automatic debit. They may sign in to their EasyReg dashboard and use the payment option to secure their entry immediately. Otherwise, the first automatic debit will be attempted against the nominated card on 25 September 2026. If the first attempt is unsuccessful, a final automatic debit attempt will be made on 26 September 2026.”

“Applicants should therefore ensure that their nominated card is active, that the transaction will be permitted by their financial institution, and there are sufficient funds available in the account. If the automatic debit is unsuccessful, the applicant will be notified as such, and they can then either sign in to their EasyReg dashboard and pay manually or ensure that sufficient funds are available for the final automatic debit attempt on 26 September 2026,” she adds.

If payment is not received manually and both automatic debit attempts are unsuccessful, the applicant’s ballot place will be forfeited and may be offered to another runner through the redraw process. The CMA cautions runners that once their place has been forfeited, it cannot be reinstated.

FINAL STEP IN THE ENTRY PROCESS

Successful payment secures the applicant’s place in the race.

However, the entry will only be considered complete and valid once all outstanding requirements on the entrant’s checklist have been submitted.

This includes:

• Qualification details;
• Medical questionnaire;
• Transport information;
• Registration venue selection; and
• Other required personal or entry information.

“All outstanding checklist items must be completed by 16:30 South African time on 3 May 2027,” says Forge.

“Failure to submit the required information may affect the entrant’s participation, so we urge all runners to complete their outstanding hecklist items as soon as possible. Our Entries Office team is also on standby to help with any enquiries.”

If applicants have any questions or require assistance, they may contact the CMA through Email: info@comrades.com or telephone: 033 897 8650.