Entries for 2026 Comrades Marathon sell out in record time

Entries for the 99th Comrades Marathon have sold out in record-breaking time. Less than 10 hours after entries opened, organisers announced that they reached the 22,000 capacity cap.

Entries opened at 10am on Monday, 3 November, and sold out just before 8pm. The previous record for entries selling out was three days for 27,000 entries in 2020.

Comrades Marathon Association general manager Alain Dalais says this is unprecedented.

“Road running has really become such an exciting and popular sport since the pandemic... runners look at the Comrades Marathon as the end of their achievement list.”

He adds that demand in the race could be due to the 100th edition creeping up in 2027 and a special ‘back-to-back’ medal they have for 2026 and 2027 runners.

“We know that there is a massive demand for runners to compete in that event, and having said that, lots of runners want to compete in this one, leading up to the big 100,” Dalais says.

The 2026 Comrades Marathon takes place on Sunday, 14 June.

To listen to Dalais in conversation with 702’s John Perlman, click the audio player below: