THE START
4 TIMING
The race will be run‘ gun-to-gun’ until the final race cut-offs for Group 1 at 17h00, Group 2 at 17h15 and Group 3 at 17h30, at Hollywoodbets Scottsville Racecourse in Pietermaritzburg. All runners will have 12 hours to complete the race, with each group’ s official race time commencing at the starting signal for that group.
Please note: Any participant who does not cross the official start line and the timing mat located thereon will not be attributed an official race result.
5 BUS SERVICE TO START
The Santaco Shuttle Bus Service from Pietermaritzburg to the start in Durban will be available to runners. Tickets must be pre-purchased at the Bus Ticket Stand at the Comrades Marathon EXPO in Durban, or at Comrades Marathon House in Pietermaritzburg during the Race Pack Collection period. No ticket sales will be available on race day!
On the morning of the race, runners who have pre-purchased a bus ticket must make their way to the Longmarket Girls’ School in Boshoff Street – use the football field access gate on Boshoff Street. Runners will be required to present proof of purchase when entering the parking area, and again prior to boarding a bus.
The shuttle buses will be lined up on Boshoff Street, between Woodhouse Road and Bulwer Road. They will depart when full, with the first bus leaving at 01h00, and the last bus is scheduled to leave at 02h30. The buses cannot wait for latecomers, so make sure your alarm is set!
6 DROP AND GO
If you’ re planning to be dropped at the start in Durban by family or friends, then take note of the drop and go arrangements. The start precinct in Dr Pixley Ka Seme( West) Street and immediate surrounds will be closed to traffic. There will be official drop and go zones on either side of the Start area, in Monty Naicker Road to the north and in Margaret Mncadi Avenue Street to the south. The drop zones are just a short walk to the start, with various tog bag drop points and banks of portaloos nearby.
7 ENTERING THE START PRECINCT
Designated safe walkways lead into the Start precinct from the drop and go areas either side of the precinct. Runners in the various Start Groups are recommended to use the following streets to easily reach their designated Group Start area and seeding batches: Group 1: Samora Machel Street, which will bring you to the back end of the Group 1 batches. Group 2: Samora Machel Street, which will bring you to the front end of the Group 2 batches, or Union and Dick King Streets, which will bring you to the back end of the Group 2 batches Group 3: Union and Dick King Streets, which will bring you to the front end of the Group 3 batches.
Please note: There will be a lot of cars and buses heading towards the start precinct, so check out the Start Map in this section of the digimag and make your start plans. The best advice is to get there early, find your start group and get into your seeding batch as quickly as you can.
Access points to all start batches will close 15 minutes before the start of each respective Start Group. Participants arriving after the closure of their allocated seeding batch must move to the back of their allocated Start Group. Participants who miss the start of their allocated Start Group will be permitted to start at the back of the next Start Group. Any participant arriving after the start time of Group 3 must start at the back of Group 3.
Late starters will only be accepted up to 15 minutes after the Group 3 start, i. e. until 05h45, after which the start timing mats will be removed, and no further participants will be permitted to commence the race. Any participant joining the race route after the official closure of the Start will be disqualified at the Finish.
Please note: Under no circumstances may participants climb over fences or barricades to gain access to a batch. Referees at the Start will monitor compliance, and any participant contravening these rules will face disciplinary action.
8 TOILETS AND URINALS
Portable toilets, urinals and female-only facilities will be available for participants at the Start, along the route and at the Finish. Participants are requested to use these facilities responsibly and leave them in a clean condition for fellow runners. Female-only toilets will be monitored by security.
Please note: Any participant observed urinating or defecating in a start batch, outside of the designated facilities, will face disciplinary action and may be denied future entry into the Comrades Marathon.
9 TOG BAG SERVICE
Biddulphs Removals will provide a complimentary tog bag service from the Start to the Finish. Participants may hand in their tog bags at any of the designated Biddulphs Removals drop-off points located at:
• The Durban Race Pack Collection & EXPO;
• The Pietermaritzburg Race Pack Collection; or
• The Start precinct on race morning, prior to the commencement of the race.( The drop-off points are indicated on the Start Map in this digimag.)
Please note: Runners wishing to drop their bags off at the Start are urged to arrive early, to avoid congestion and long queues at the tog bag drop points.
Tog bags may be collected at the Finish upon presentation of the tog bag sticker issued at the time of drop-off. No tog bags will be released without the corresponding sticker. The tog bag collection area will be easy to find near the exit of the Runner Chill Zone, just after the finish line.
Please note: While every reasonable precaution will be taken to safeguard participants’ belongings, neither the CMA, Biddulphs Removals, nor any of their respective staff, Board Members, representatives, sponsors, partners or volunteers will accept liability for any loss of or damage to personal property after a tog bag has been handed in. Participants are strongly advised not to place valuables in any form in their tog bags.
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Turn to the next page for a detailed map of the Start area, including a handy guide to drop and go areas, walkways, toilets, Biddulphs Removals tog bag drop points, and the access points for your Start Group and Seeding Batch.
Images: Comrades Marathon Association