FILE. South Africa’s passion for ultra-marathons, epitomised by the prestigious Comrades Marathon, highlights the nation’s unique sporting culture where resilience and perseverance are celebrated above all else. Picture: RAJESH JANTILAL / AFP
Image: RAJESH JANTILAL / AFP
If you’ve spent any time at all around runners in South Africa, you’ve probably heard the phrase “You’re not a real runner if you haven’t done Comrades”, and while I don’t agree with that statement at all, it certainly emphasises the fact that South Africa is an ultra-marathon mad country.
Outside of South Africa, many runners regard running a standard marathon, which is 42.2km, as the ultimate achievement.
In South Africa, though, the two biggest races on the road running calendar are ultra marathons.
In April, you have the 56km Two Oceans Marathon, and then in June, you have the big C - The Comrades Marathon. Comrades, of course, normally measures somewhere between 85km and 90km, depending on the route, which tends to vary each year.
It’s staggering then to think that you could tell another runner, “Yes, I’ve run a marathon,” and then in the next breath, they ask if you’ve done any ultras, completely glossing over the fact that running 42.2km is a monumental achievement.
In fact, so common is the phrase “You’re not a real runner if you haven’t done Comrades” that it was said to Jenna Challenor a few years ago. A fan had seen her in her running gear and casually slipped in the phrase, to the former World Championship competitor in the marathoner.
Challenor has since finished in the top-10 twice at Comrades, with her fourth-place finish in 2022 going viral as she crawled over the finish line as her legs gave out.
It’s moments like those that seem to epitomise the ultra-marathon psyche in South Africa — that kind of true grit, the belief that no matter how difficult things become, you keep moving forward.
At times, it can be a bad thing when taken to extremes, but ultimately, it helps explain why races like Comrades occupy such a unique place in the national sporting landscape. The race has become about far more than running. It’s a test of resilience, determination, and stubborn perseverance — qualities many South Africans like to see in themselves.
Whether you ever run Comrades or not, there’s no denying its influence. In a country where completing a marathon can sometimes be treated as a stepping stone rather than a destination, perhaps that is the clearest sign of all that South Africa remains an ultra-marathon mad nation.