This is strictly a pre-entry event and your entry form must be handed to the Comrades Marathon Association before the conclusion of business on 5 May 2008. The organising body has left the closing date as late as possible to accommodate runners and clubs with qualifying races. Please assist the organisers and submit your entry as soon as possible. Entry forms are available from early January at sports stores countrywide, and from Mr Price Sports stores.
Online entries are also available at www.comrades.com. For reasons of runner safety, the Comrades Marathon Association require competitors to run a qualifying race. You must be 20 years of age on or before the date on which your qualifying race is run. The race must be an official fixture on the annual road-running calendar, and be run between 17 June 2007 and 4 May 2008. Completion of the 2007 Comrades Marathon automatically qualifies runners for the 2008 event. South Africans can qualify in foreign races such as the New York City Marathon, provided you submit proof of the result and the race falls within the qualifying period.
As a guideline, most international marathons will qualify, provided they are run within the IAAF rules, are properly measured and timed events, and produce a set of verifiable results. This table indicates the 2008 slowest qualifying times necessary to enter:
Distance of race |
Qualifying time |
42.2 km |
sub 5hr 00min 00sec |
48-50 km |
sub 6hr 00min 00sec |
| 52-54 km |
sub 6hr 30min 00sec |
| 56 km |
sub 7hr 00min 00sec |
| 60 km |
sub 7hr 40min 00sec |
| 64 km |
sub 8hr 20min 00sec |
| 80 km |
sub 10hr 40min 00sec |
| 89 km |
sub 12hr 00min 00sec |
| 100 km |
sub 13hr 30min 00sec |
To minimise congestion at the start, the organisers employ a seeding system which is based on the qualifying time on the entry form. Please note that there will be no upgrading of a seeding batch, and the Comrades Marathon Association will not enter into any correspondence in this regard. The following seeding table applies:
Batch |
42.2 km |
48 - 50 km |
56 km |
| Batch A |
sub 3:00 |
sub 3:40 |
sub 4:05 |
| Batch B |
sub 3:20 |
sub 4:00 |
sub 4:35 |
| Batch C |
sub 3:40 |
sub 4:25 |
sub 5:00 |
| Batch D |
sub 4:00 |
sub 4:50 |
sub 5:30 |
| Batch E |
Green Number |
Club Members |
|
| Batch F |
sub 4:20 |
sub 5:10 |
sub 6:00 |
| Batch G |
sub 4:40 |
sub 5:35 |
sub 6:30 |
| Batch H |
sub 5:00 |
sub 6:00 |
sub 7:00 |
Send postal entries to Comrades Marathon Association, PO Box 843, Pietermaritzburg 3200.
The 2009 Comrades Marathon will take place on Sunday 24 May.
Closing date for entries has been set as Tuesday 31 March 2009.
|
