The organisers reasoned that the Covid-19 pandemic has had a negative influence on not only their finances, but also their ability to attract sponsors to help them run the hugely popular race.
EDWARD Mothibi gasped in disbelief and Gift Kelehe voiced his disappointment at what he felt was a “downgrading” of the Comrades Marathon as the greatest ultramarathon following the announcement yesterday that the prize money for winning this year’s race will be R260,000.
Mothibi, who banked a cool R500,000 for his victory in the last normal running of the event termed the Ultimate Human Race, could not hide his surprise at hearing that he would be paid nearly half of that to “defend” his title.
Kelehe, a champion in 2015, questioned the logic behind the Comrades Marathon Association’s (CMA) decision to cut down the prize money while incredibly asking athletes to pay 100% more than they did in registering for the 2020 race that had to be cancelled due to the Covid-19 induced lockdown restrictions.
#Comrades2022 The Return, Sishay'ibuya. 🏃🏾♂️#Theultimatehumanrace pic.twitter.com/77sqVyLvfN
— ComradesRace (@ComradesRace) February 17, 2022
For this year’s event, the first normal race since 2019, registration is R1,200 with those who had entered for the 2020 edition set to receive a R200 discount.
The organisers reasoned that the Covid-19 pandemic has had a negative influence on not only their finances, but also their ability to attract sponsors to help them run the hugely popular race.
Speaking on the “true cost of Comrades”, CMA vice-chairperson Les Burnard said it would cost them R38.4million to stage the race and that they were actually budgeting for a R6.4m deficit this year.
He explained that they have had to retrench some of their staff members just to ensure they stay afloat and do not dig into their reserves.
Comrades Marathon Race Director @JamesRowyn announced that entries will open at 10am on Wednesday 23 March 2022 and will close on Thursday 31 March 2022.
Get more details on our Facebook page. #Comrades2022 #TheReturn #Sishay'ibuya pic.twitter.com/YRJaogOnxB— ComradesRace (@ComradesRace) February 17, 2022
“The impact of Covid-19 on corporate South Africa has made it difficult for us to get sponsors because they felt they wouldn’t invest without a guaranteed return on investment.
But we continue to look for sponsors and our challenge is to make sure that we manage our reserves to make sure that the race survives,” CMA chairperson Mqondisi Ngcobo said.
And so it was that the CMA decided to rather transfer the financial pinch to the athletes, charging them more for registration while rewarding the stars who shine brightest with much, much less.
CMA Vice Chairperson explained the entry fee in detail. "A cut costing exercise done in 2019 revealed that it costs R1384 for every runner on the road and our entry fee is less than that and so sponsorship is required to fund the balance" #TheReturn #Sishay'ibuya #comrades2022 pic.twitter.com/6AlYsZJVSu
— ComradesRace (@ComradesRace) February 17, 2022
“I am very, very disappointed because in 2015 when I won (the) Comrades I got about R360,000 plus some spot prizes, now it is down R260,000, why,” Kelehe said.
The organisers said that the reduction in prize money is likely to be a temporary measure necessitated by the current economic situation brought about by Covid-19.
This year’s Comrades is scheduled for August 28 instead of the traditional June date and the CMA said going forward the race will now be run in August.
It is open for just 15,000 participants, although race director Rowyn James said they might increase the number to 20,000 at a later stage.
Registration is set to open on March 23 until March 31 for only those entrants who had successfully entered the 2020 Comrades Marathon.
Should the 15,000 number not be reached by then, a second registration window period will be opened from April 26 -May 16.
Qualification to run the race remains the same, with runners needing to complete a recognised marathon in less than 4hr 50min between September 2021 and July 2022.
Matshelane Mamabolo
