As the Comrades Marathon prepares for its 99th running on Sunday, the race is proving as significant off the road as it is on it, injecting close to R1bn into the KwaZulu-Natal economy annually.
According to the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA), Durban alone accounts for R800m of that figure, with Pietermaritzburg contributing a further R200m, as accommodation, hospitality and local businesses along the route book out entirely for Comrades Week.
More than 22,000 runners took part last year, with this year’s field drawing participants from over 86 countries, competing for a total prize pool of R8.2m covering top 10 prizes for both men and women, team awards and individual paydays of up to R2.5m for the top finishers.
“There’s a massive benefit to local businesses, particularly around race week and on race day itself,” said Alain Dalais, general manager of the CMA. “Every single form of accommodation, including Airbnbs, are fully booked for Comrades Week.”
He said the event’s commercial and economic footprint had grown alongside its sporting ambitions. As a non-profit, the CMA channels a portion of its revenue into sport development, including donations of timing equipment and running shoes to the KwaZulu-Natal Athletics programme and youth athletes in Pietermaritzburg.
Dalais credited sponsors like Cell C as central to sustaining one of the world’s most storied ultramarathons, saying the CMA prioritised partners that shared its values. “The CMA always looks for companies that have similar values and principles, and Cell C are a perfect fit,” he said.
He pointed to Cell C’s role as a leading telecoms operator as particularly relevant, with the company deploying charging stations at the finish line, at the expo’s international hospitality area, and at the village housing 800 runners from disadvantaged backgrounds, allowing athletes to communicate with family and supporters after finishing.
Jorge Mendes, Cell C’s CEO, said the Comrades Marathon was a natural fit for the brand. “The Comrades Marathon is a symbol of human grit and unity,” he said, describing the event as uniquely inclusive.
“There are three things that I recall in South Africa that unite people like no other: Nelson Mandela, the Springbok team, and the Comrades Marathon,” Mendes said, pointing to the race’s cultural weight as central to Cell C’s decision to invest in it as a sponsorship platform.
Mendes outlined several initiatives tied to the sponsorship, including treadmill activations at the expo and an additional prize at the 61km timing beacon in Camperdown awarded to the fastest athletes through that point.
“It’s less about badging or putting a logo on something, and more about the activation and the involvement with what the Comrades Marathon brings to society at large.”
Mendes said Cell C’s contribution had directly enabled the improved prize pool, now in the second year of an initial three-year contract, with last year’s charity drive raising R350,000, a figure he said they were targeting to surpass.
Cell C customers also stand to win R500,000 in cash through a competition tied to the sponsorship.
With next year’s centenary on the horizon, the CMA is planning a series of ancillary events around the 100th running, including a legends torch run featuring 34 former Comrades greats, mirroring the number of runners who competed in the inaugural 1921 race.
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