Tapering for the Comrades Marathon is challenging because runners struggle with reducing mileage and intensity, especially when balancing it with the Two Oceans Marathon, despite the benefits of allowing the body to adjust to less stress before race day. Picture: Tobias Ginsberg / File
Image: Tobias Ginsberg / File
As the Comrades Marathon began on Sunday, approximately 21,633 runners were registered to make it to the starting line in Durban to begin their long journey inland.
This year the up-run from Durban to Pietermaritzburg measures 85.77km, and the task of fuelling the athletes all the way is a monumental one.
Managing and fuelling this weary mass of athletes across a brutal route is arguably the largest logistical undertaking of the entire South African sporting year.
To keep the field moving, the race organisers are deploying a staggering mountain of refreshment station supplies:
Though the majority of the field are not competing for position, there is the small matter of prize money. It isn’t just glory on the line for the elite field. The Comrades Marathon Association offers equal prize money for both the Men’s and Women’s races, paying down to the top 10 finishers: