The Comrades Marathon Association has cautioned runners about ongoing roadworks on King Cetshwayo Highway. File Picture: Shelley Kjonstad/ Independent Newspapers
Durban – Runners taking part in the 97th Comrades Marathon have been cautioned about roadworks on the King Cetshwayo Highway ahead of race day on June 9.
With less than 40 days to go, the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) has cautioned runners about ongoing roadworks on King Cetshwayo Highway as it crosses over the N2 just before the Westwood Mall in the Sherwood/Westville vicinity.
“We have been instructed by the Road Traffic Inspectorate and Durban Metro Police to ensure that we inform all runners of the danger posed by ongoing construction between Sherwood and the Westwood Mall at the event safety & security planning committee meeting which was held recently,” said CMA race and operations manager Ann Ashworth.
“The route, which is typically four lanes wide as it crosses the bridge, will be narrowed to two lanes and bordered by concrete barricades. The CMA will be erecting additional lighting to ensure that any hazards are well-lit and readily identifiable by participants.”
In March, the CMA revealed that this year the race has had to accommodate ongoing roadworks at the Umlaas Road Interchange and will follow a route through the suburbs of Cleland and Pelham, similar to that used in 2013 and 2015.
At the time, Ashworth described the last 7km of the 2024 race route by saying: “From the top of Polly Shortts, runners will continue along the R103 / CB Downes Road, past the previous right-hand turn into Murray Road used in 2017 and 2019, and continue into Washington Road bordering the sports fields of the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
“With approximately 3km to go, runners will turn right into Oribi Road and head towards the Scottsville Racecourse along King Edward Avenue. The race’s iconic Toyota Mile will start at the intersection of King Edward Avenue and Alan Paton Drive where runners will turn left and then right into Connaught Road, passing Comrades Marathon House within the last kilometre of the race.
“The entrance to this year’s finish straight will be off Surrey Road, with the result that runners will no longer need to pass through the tunnel beneath the Scottsville Racetrack.”
Ashworth advised runners to make their way to the start of the race early. She said that due to the ongoing roadworks, they ask that all athletes make their way to the Durban City Hall timeously to avoid the traffic congestion and potentially miss the start of the race.
This year’s Comrades Marathon will be the 97th instalment of the iconic event and the 49th up run. It will start at the Durban City Hall at 5.30am and end 12 hours later at the Hollywoodbets Scottsville Racecourse in Pietermaritzburg.
The marathon will be run over a distance of 85.91km, the shortest route distance in Comrades history. This is nearly 820m shorter than the last up run in 2019.
The last time that the race finished at the Hollywoodbets Scottsville Racecourse five years ago, the race distance was 86.73km.
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