International runners love SA's Comrades Marathon

The Comrades Marathon. Image: CMA

Comrades Marathon: Massive prize money hike for 2023 race: Winners get R500 000

The Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) has significantly hiked prize money for the 2023 edition of the Comrades Marathon.

International runners love SA's Comrades Marathon

The Comrades Marathon. Image: CMA

The Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) has significantly hiked prize money for the 2023 edition of the Comrades Marathon.

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This year’s race, which will be a ‘down run’ between Pietermaritzburg and Durban, will take place on Sunday, 11 June.

Both the men’s and women’s winners will pocket a cool R500 000 – a whopping 92% increase on last year’s R260 000 winners’ cheques.

In addition, should the winners of each race break the current ‘down’ records, they will earn an extra R500 000.

Those ‘down’ run records belong to South African duo David Gatebe (5:18:19 in 2016) and Frith van der Merwe (5:54:43 in 1989).

But that’s not all!

On top of that, should the winner be a South African and from the KwaZulu-Natal province, they will be paid an additional R200 000 and R60 000, respectively.

Comrades Marathon has a new finish in 2023

The second and third-place finishers will also have more reason to console themselves in defeat, with their prizes being increased to R250 000 and R180 000, respectively.

In total, prize money has increased from R2.27 million to R4.31 million.

Last year’s races, which were also ‘down’ runs – and was the first staging of the event since 2019 due of the Covid-19 pandemic – were won by South Africa’s Tete Dijana (5:30:38) and Russia’s Alexandra Morozova (6:17:48).

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Meanwhile, as reported by The South African website, following a seven-year absence, the 2023 Comrades Marathon will return to Hollywoodbets Kingsmead Stadium when the iconic race finishes at the famous stadium on 11 June.

The Ultimate Human Race has had a recent relationship with the Moses Mabhida Stadiu, but due to a conflict in events, as the stadium is hosting the COSAFA Cup during June, the organisers have chosen Kingsmead as their finish venue.

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