History was made this week when general entries opened for the 2026 Comrades Marathon and the ‘sold out’ sign went up the same day. Entries opened at 10am on Monday 3 November, and the cap of 22,000 was reached just before 8pm, less than 10 hours later! The previous record for entries selling out for an edition of the Comrades Marathon was the three days it took for all 27,000 entries for the 2020 edition to be sold.

The blistering speed at which 2026 entries were claimed came as a pleasant surprise to the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA), given that last year, just 40% of entries for the 2025 race were sold on the first day, and it took 17 days for the remainder to be claimed. “We are thrilled by the overwhelming response to our call for entries for the 2026 race. Even though we knew there would be an increased interest, given that this will be the 99th edition of the race, and the 100th edition of the race will be run in 2027, we weren’t expecting the entry cap to be reached so quickly,” says CMA General Manager Alain Dalais.

“This record-setting sell-out is an incredible statement by the Comrades Marathon community that the race remains one of the most iconic must-do events on the South African road running calendar, and it is testament to the unbelievable passion that our entrants have for The Ultimate Human Race,” adds Dalais.

One Last Way to Secure an Entry

The planned entries process for the 2026 race began on Monday 27 October with the opening of the one-week dedicated ‘early bird’ entry window reserved for Green Number Club members and CMA Members. This window saw an initial batch of 2594 entries being secured. The general entries window for all other aspirant Comrades Marathon runners was then scheduled to run from 3 November until 28 November, or up to the point that the entry cap was reached, but thanks to a total of 19,406 entries pouring in on the first day, taking the total entries to 22,000, the entries process closed the same day. (The entry cap was reduced from 24,000 in 2025 to 22,000 for the 2026 race in order to ensure the safety of all entrants and an enhanced runner experience.)

Some athletes may have been taken by surprise by the speed at which entries closed, or were not able to submit their entries on the first day. Those athletes who were unable to secure an entry are encouraged to stay connected through the official Comrades Marathon channels for details of the Comrades Marathon Substitution Process, which will run over March and April 2026. “This process allows entered runners, who can no longer run for whatever reason, to release their entry to another runner,” explains Comrades Marathon Race Director Sue Forge.

“The window for withdrawals will run from 16 to 30 March 2026, followed by the window for securing the substitute entry, running from 1 to 15 April 2026,” continues Forge. “The athlete substituting in will pay the full 2026 race entry fee to the Comrades Marathon Association, while the withdrawing athlete will be charged an administrative fee of 15% of their entry fee, and will thus be refunded 85% of their entry fee. No money or vouchers will be exchanged between athletes.”

Heartfelt Thanks to Entrants

With all 22,000 entries now sold, the entries window for the 2026 Comrades Marathon is officially closed, and the CMA has extended its heartfelt gratitude to all participants who have secured their entries for next year’s race. CMA Chairperson Mqondisi Ngcobo says, “Your dedication and passion for the Comrades Marathon continues to inspire us. We look forward to welcoming all registered runners to the starting line on Sunday, 14 June 2026, for what promises to be another memorable and challenging race. We would also like to thank every runner who has helped us to start writing a glorious new chapter in the history of the Comrades Marathon.”

The 2026 Comrades Marathon will be the 99th edition of the iconic race, and the 50th Up Run from Durban to Pietermaritzburg (as the race alternates direction each year.) The race will start in front of the Durban City Hall and finish 12 hours later at the Hollywoodbets Scottsville Racecourse, with a race distance of approximately 87km. The 2026 race campaign is Ska Fela Moya (Setswana for Don’t Give Up), which captures the fierce determination that is part of the South African culture, and something that all Comrades Marathon runners embrace.

The qualification period for the 2026 Comrades Marathon is from 9 June 2025 (the day after the 2025 Comrades Marathon) to 4 May 2026. In order to qualify to run the race, runners need to have completed an officially timed standard marathon (42.2km) in under five hours. The closing date for submission of qualifying details, including seeding upgrade requests and club and license information, is 4 May 2026.