All roads lead to KZN as Comrades returns with Wiersma vs Dijana duel set to continue

The popular cliché ‘all roads lead to...’ is often misused. For once, though, there will be some truth to it this week, as KwaZulu-Natal’s (KZN) Pietermaritzburg and Durban become the destination of many.

So here it goes: “All roads will lead down the N3 south this week” as runners make their way to the 98th running of the world-famous Comrades Marathon.

It is an annual pilgrimage that brings together people from all walks of life to tackle arguably the most gruelling road race in the world – the approximately 90km run between KZN’s two biggest cities.

This year’s race will be run from the capital city, Pietermaritzburg, down to the commercial hub of Durban, with the biggest question on Comrades enthusiasts’ minds no doubt being whether the flying Dutchman, Piet Wiersma, will unseat Tete Dijana as champion.

Two years ago, Wiersma announced himself at Comrades with a compelling debut run that saw him finish a close second to defending champion Dijana – both runners dipping under David Gatebe’s previous Down Run best time of 5:18:19. Dijana clocked 5:13:58, with Wiersma flying in just three seconds later.

It was one of the closest finishes in Comrades Marathon history, with Dijana cheered on by the crowd as he sprinted towards the tape, Wiersma looming large behind him.

The Dutchman, though a member of the Nedbank Running Club to which Dijana is also affiliated, had come from left field and stunned both Dijana and his training partner Edward Mothibi by sticking with them throughout – the duo having expected to replicate their one-two finish from the previous year (regardless of the order).

Such was the threat Wiersma posed that Dijana and Mothibi refused to share drinks with him at one stage – much to the shock of viewers who had assumed the trio were teammates, given they were all in the same green colours. But the Nedbank Running Club is a large institution with various training camps, and Wiersma is not part of the famed Happy Bunch group coached by the reticent but highly capable John Adams.

While Wiersma gained some form of revenge by winning last year’s race, it was the Up Run from Durban to Pietermaritzburg – and you can be certain he will be eager to make up for that narrow defeat from two years ago by claiming back-to-back titles.

He will, however, need to be at his very best, as Dijana is hungry to complete a rare hat-trick of Down Run victories.

Do not, however, be misled into thinking this is a two-horse race. Far from it. There are numerous men capable of clinching victory this year, and as usual, the competition for Comrades glory will be intense.

The women’s race promises to be a different affair, with Gerda Steyn once again the overwhelming favourite. She is the defending Down Run champion, having won the 2023 edition in a new best time of 5:44:54. Such is her dominance at Comrades that it would not be surprising to see Steyn improve on that time come Sunday.