Race at a Glance
- Distance: Approximately 90 km
- Route/Direction: Pietermaritzburg → Durban
- Terrain: 100% tar road, with sustained descents and five major climbs
- Key Dates: Held annually in June; 2027 is the Down Run
- Cut-offs: Multiple intermediate cut-offs throughout the course; maximum overall time of 12 hours
- Qualification / Entry: Marathon or longer qualifying race meeting the current Comrades requirements
- Key Challenges: Sustained downhill loading, eccentric quad fatigue, long-duration running, fuelling, changing temperatures and strict cut-off management
Coach’s note: The Down Run is not simply about running 90 km. The decisive preparation challenge is building the muscular resilience to absorb prolonged downhill running while maintaining efficient movement deep into the race.
1. Understanding the Race
Comrades is not a marathon with another 48 km added. It is a different endurance challenge.
The Down Run can feel deceptively easy early on. You are running downhill, the legs feel fresh and the atmosphere is incredible. That is exactly when discipline matters most.
The long descents create significant eccentric loading through the quads. Every kilometre adds to the damage. By the second half of the race, athletes who have not prepared specifically for this can find that their legs simply stop responding.
And despite the overall downhill profile, there are still significant climbs.
The road matters
There is no technical trail terrain to negotiate. But 90 km of tar creates enormous repetitive loading. Your running economy becomes increasingly important as fatigue builds. Small inefficiencies early in the race become big problems later.
The weather changes
You can start in very cold conditions in Pietermaritzburg and finish in warm, humid conditions near Durban. Your race strategy needs to account for both.
The mental challenge
At some point, Comrades will probably become uncomfortable. The important question is not whether you will experience fatigue. It is how well you have prepared to deal with it.
2. What Does It Take to Finish?
A successful Comrades build develops several qualities together.
Aerobic endurance
Your aerobic system provides the foundation for everything else. You need to be able to keep moving efficiently for many hours without constantly working at a high intensity.
Muscular endurance
Your legs need to keep producing useful movement long after the fatigue you normally experience in a marathon.
Strength
Particularly important for the Down Run is the ability of the quads, glutes and calves to absorb repeated eccentric loading.
Running economy
Efficient athletes spend less energy for the same pace. Over 90 km, that matters enormously.
Fatigue resistance
This is the ability to continue moving well when the legs are already tired. It does not happen by accident. It needs to be trained.
3. Building Your Training Plan
A typical Comrades build for an experienced endurance athlete may take around 20–26 weeks. The exact structure should depend on the athlete’s starting point, experience, goals and available training time.
At MCC, we don’t start with a distance target and work backwards. We start with the athlete.
Assess → Plan → Train → Measure → Evaluate → Adapt → Perform
Base/foundation
Establish consistent training and aerobic durability. Most running should be controlled and sustainable. The goal is to prepare the body for the work that follows.
Endurance development
Longer runs become more important. Training volume increases progressively and back-to-back sessions can be introduced.
Race-specific preparation
This is where the training becomes more specific to the Down Run.
Training should include:
- Sustained downhill running
- Hill running
- Long-duration efforts
- Race-specific pacing
- Fuelling practice
- Tired-leg running
Peak
The biggest race-specific sessions are completed before the taper. The objective is not simply to run your longest-ever distance. It is to arrive at the start line prepared, healthy and confident.
Taper
Training volume decreases while selected intensity is retained. The taper is not lost fitness. It is the final step in allowing the fitness you have built to express itself.
Race week
Final preparation focuses on recovery, logistics, fuelling and arriving at the start line fresh and confident.
4. Training for the Specific Demands
This is where Comrades preparation differs from standard marathon training.
Downhill running
Downhill running needs to be trained progressively. Your quads need to learn how to absorb the repeated eccentric load of running downhill. Don’t wait until race day to discover how your legs respond.
Hills
The Down Run still has significant climbs. You need the strength and aerobic capacity to climb efficiently without turning every hill into a hard effort.
Long-duration running
Long runs develop more than endurance. They allow you to practise:
– Pacing
– Fuelling
– Hydration
– Equipment
– Running economy
– Mental strategies
Back-to-back training
A long run followed by another controlled endurance session the next day can be extremely valuable. The second session is not about running fast. It is about learning to move efficiently on tired legs. That is much closer to the reality of Comrades.
Strength & conditioning
Strength training should support the running programme. For the Down Run, particular attention should be given to:
– Eccentric quad strength
– Single-leg strength
– Glute strength
– Calf capacity
– Trunk stability
The objective is simple: Build legs that can handle the distance.
5. Nutrition & Hydration
You cannot improvise your nutrition over 90 km. Training is where you learn what works.
Practise your fuelling
Long runs are your opportunity to test:
– Carbohydrate intake
– Fluid intake
– Electrolytes
– Different foods or products
– Timing
– What your stomach tolerates
A commonly used target for well-trained athletes is around 60–90 g of carbohydrate per hour, but the right amount is individual and should be developed progressively.
Don’t wait until you’re hungry
Your fuelling strategy should be proactive. The goal is to avoid creating a problem that you then have to solve.
Use the aid stations intelligently
Know where the official refreshment points are and build them into your race plan. Your nutrition strategy should work with the race, not against it.
6. Race-Day Strategy
Start conservatively
The first 20–30 km should feel controlled. That is not the time to prove how fit you are. You have a long way to go.
Think effort, not just pace
The terrain changes constantly. A fixed pace is therefore not always appropriate. Instead, manage your effort. Run the terrain.
Don’t bank time on the descents
This is one of the biggest Down Run traps. Running faster because the road is going downhill may feel free early on. It isn’t. You are paying for that effort through your quads.
Know the course
Understand the major climbs, key landmarks and cut-offs before race day. Knowing what is coming makes the race mentally easier.
Expect a difficult period
At some point, things will probably get hard. Have a strategy before it happens. Break the race into manageable sections. Focus on the next checkpoint, the next landmark or the next few kilometres rather than the entire distance.
7. Cut-Off / Time Strategy
Comrades is different from most races because there is more than one finish-line cut-off. There are intermediate cut-offs throughout the course. Miss one and your race is over.
That means your race plan needs to include the cut-offs from the beginning.
Don’t race the cut-offs
The objective is not to arrive at each cut-off with seconds to spare. Build a sensible margin.
Know your numbers
Before race week, you should know:
– Your target finish time
– Your expected pace or effort
– Your target time at key landmarks
– Your margin ahead of each cut-off
– Where you can realistically make up time if necessary
This takes the uncertainty out of race day. You should not be doing race mathematics for the first time at 70 km.
8. Equipment & Logistics
Comrades is a well-supported road race, so you don’t need an ultra-sized kit list. But the basics need to be right.
Shoes
Use shoes you have already tested over long distances. Do not introduce new footwear on race day.
Clothing
Prepare for the temperature difference between Pietermaritzburg and Durban. You may need layers early that you will not need later.
Race logistics
Plan the details before race week:
– Travel
– Accommodation
– Registration
– Seeding
– Start logistics
– Transport between Pietermaritzburg and Durban
– Family or support arrangements
– Post-race transport
The less you have to think about on race day, the more energy you have for the race.
9. Common Mistakes
– Running the early kilometres too fast
Fresh legs and downhill running can be a dangerous combination.
– Training distance without training specificity
More kilometres do not automatically mean better Comrades preparation.
– Ignoring downhill conditioning
The Down Run can expose weaknesses in the quads very quickly.
– Under-fuelling
Waiting until you are hungry or tired before taking on carbohydrate is often too late.
– Ignoring back-to-back training
One long run per week does not fully replicate running on tired legs.
– Chasing fitness during the taper
The fitness has already been built. The final weeks are about arriving ready.
– Not knowing the cut-offs
You should know your race plan before you arrive at the start.
– Ignoring the weather
The race can begin cold and finish warm and humid. Your preparation needs to reflect that.
10. The MCC Coaching Perspective
The coaching priority: Prepare specifically for the Down Run’s prolonged downhill loading, climbing, long duration, fuelling demands and strict cut-offs.
The MCC view: Train for what 90 km will do to the athlete, not simply for the distance itself.
11. Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Comrades Down Run distance and route?
The Down Run covers approximately 90 km from Pietermaritzburg to Durban. Confirm the final route and official race information for the specific edition.
How important is downhill training for Comrades?
Extremely important. The prolonged descents create substantial eccentric loading through the quads, so downhill tolerance needs to be developed progressively.
Do I need to train for the climbs as well?
Yes. Although it is the Down Run, the course still includes significant climbs and athletes need enough strength and aerobic capacity to climb efficiently.
How long should a Comrades build take?
For an experienced endurance athlete, a focused build may take around 20–26 weeks, but the appropriate duration depends on the athlete’s starting point, experience and training history.
How much carbohydrate should I take per hour?
A commonly used planning range for well-trained athletes is around 60–90 g of carbohydrate per hour, but the appropriate intake is individual and must be practised in training.
Should I use back-to-back long sessions?
They can be highly valuable because they teach the athlete to move efficiently on tired legs. They should be introduced progressively and fit the overall training load.
How should I approach the first part of the Down Run?
Conservatively. The early downhill kilometres can feel deceptively easy, but spending too much muscular and metabolic capacity early can create major problems later.
How important are the cut-offs?
Critical. Comrades has intermediate cut-offs as well as an overall finish limit, so the race plan should include sensible margins rather than aiming to arrive at each checkpoint with seconds to spare.
What should I practise on long runs?
Pacing, fuelling, hydration, equipment, running economy and the ability to keep moving efficiently as fatigue accumulates.
What is the biggest preparation mistake?
Training for 90 km as a distance target without preparing specifically for what 90 km of downhill road running will do to the body.
12. MCC Coaching
Comrades demands more than generic marathon fitness. MCC coaching would build the athlete’s preparation around the Down Run’s prolonged downhill loading, climbing, long duration, fuelling demands and strict cut-offs. Training is progressed so that the athlete arrives with the endurance, muscular resilience and pacing discipline required to stay effective deep into the race.
Race Guide Disclaimer:
This Race Guide is provided for general informational purposes and is based on information available to MCC at the time of publication. Race routes, distances, dates, entry requirements, cut-off times, regulations and other event details may change.
Always check the official race organiser’s website and current athlete information before planning or participating in the event. The official race information takes precedence over any information contained in this guide.