Comrades Marathon

Comrades is the longest running ultra marathon having been established in 1921.

It runs between Durban and Pietermaritzburg in South Africa and in a novel departure from most other races the route alternates directions on consecutive years.

The race is considered uphill when run from Durban to Pietermaritzburg and downhill when run in reverse. In reality both directions include an incredible amount of vertical ascent/descent of the course of the 90km (approximate) route.

As well as being the oldest ultramarathon, it is also the busiest attracting nearly 20,000 runners from across the world. The race is infamous for its incredible atmosphere, crowd support and its brutal cutoff (which sees anyone not finishing the race in 12 hours being marked as a DNF).

The race is certainly not one for the faint of heart but is a fantastic challenge for the runner for whom a marathon simply isn't enough.

Runners who complete Comrades 10 times become members of the Green Number club which means that they keep their race number for life and gain free entry into future events.