THE ROUTE
YOUR 2026 PACESETTERS
The Pacesetters have been asked to try keep their buses to one side of the road
Look out for the Official Comrades Marathon Pacesetters as they once again tackle the road between Durban and Pietermaritzburg, carrying their time flags and conducting their pacing buses to help their fellow runners achieve their race goals.
On Sunday 14 June, when the 99th edition of the Comrades Marathon takes to the roads between Durban and Pietermaritzburg, many of the 21,677 participants will be looking for some extra assistance to reach the finish within their goal time, or in time for a specific medal, or before the final 12-hour cut-off gun is fired. To help them get home on time, the team of Official Comrades Marathon Pacesetters will be in action once again.
Often referred to as‘ bus drivers,’ the Pacesetters are experienced runners who volunteer their race to assist others in achieving their goals, whether that is a medal target, a personal best or simply crossing the finish line within the cut-off time. The Pacesetters carry flags denoting their target time, so that runners can easily spot them, hop on the‘ bus’ of their choice, and rely on the pacesetters to keep them on track to hit their target times.
Providing guidance, encouragement, and reassurance when runners need it most, the Pacesetters often become the driving force behind some of the most memorable moments on race day, says CMA Race Director Sue Forge.“ The Comrades Marathon Pacesetters are far more than human clocks, they are the heartbeat of the race. Every year, they bring incredible energy, enthusiasm and‘ gees’ to the route, helping thousands of runners stay motivated, focused and smiling through the highs and lows of the journey.”
“ The songs, cheers, camaraderie, and positive spirit that accompany the pace groups create an atmosphere that is uniquely Comrades. They remind us that this race is not only about individual achievement but also about the incredible sense of community that has defined The Ultimate Human Race. We are immensely grateful to our pacesetters for their commitment and passion, and we know they will once again inspire runners from start to finish.”
All Medals Covered
In this year’ s race, the buses cover a spread of target times from sub-7:30 to sub-12:00, with this being just the second time a Silver Medal bus is run in the Comrades Marathon – the first was in 2018. The 2026 buses are as follows:
• Sub-7:30 for a Silver Medal
• Sub-9:00 for a Bill Rowan Medal
• Sub-10:00 for a Robert Mtshali Medal
• 10:30 for a safe Bronze Medal
• 10:45 for a safe Bronze Medal
• Sub-11:00 for a Bronze Medal
• 11:30 for a safe Vic Clapham Medal
• 11:45 for a safe Vic Clapham Medal
• Sub-12:00 for a Vic Clapham Medal and official finish.
With the 2026 Comrades Marathon featuring a new three-group start process, the Pacesetters have been divided amongst the three starting groups and various seeding batches, in order to allow them to start the race near to the likely‘ passengers’ who will want to make use of their bus service. Pacesetters starting in Group 1 will carry purple pacing flags denoting their target times, while those Pacesetters starting in Group 2 will carry orange flags, and Group 3 Pacesetters will have blue flags.
The Pacesetters will be running according to carefully calculated pacing charts that take into account the many hills of the Comrades Marathon route, and regular walk breaks will be included. The aim will be for buses to finish a few minutes before the various medal cut-offs, or as close as possible to intermediate target times for a safe medal.
Vast Combined Experience
Appropriately, there will be 26 Pacesetters in the 2026 Comrades Marathon, who were carefully selected from a list of 144 applicants, with all 2026 participants being invited to apply. Many of the selected Pacesetters have substantial experience running and pacing the Comrades Marathon, or have proven their pacesetting credentials in other races across South Africa or abroad. The pacesetting group thus includes:
• 17 returning Comrades Marathon Pacesetters from the 2025 race, including vastly experienced Bus Drivers such as Jeff Ramokoka( 10 times as a Sub-11:00 Driver) and Shahieda Thungo( seven times as a Sub-12:00 Driver), while Johan van Tonder will be carrying a Comrades Marathon pacing flag for the 14th time, having formerly specialised in the nine-hour slot.
• 9 Green Number holders, including Joe Faber( 27 medals), Jeff Ramokoka( 25 medals), and Johan van Tonder( 23 medals).
• 3 International pacesetters, hailing from Benin, India and Spain.
• 20 male and six female pacesetters.
• A combined total of 273 Comrades Marathon medals!
Safety and Etiquette
While the pacing buses are hugely popular with many runners, the CMA has received some negative feedback in previous years from non-bus runners, saying that the pacing buses sometimes grow quite large and thus either prevent other runners from passing, or bump other runners in passing. Therefore, the CMA has requested the Pacesetters to run to one side of the road and do their best to keep their bus passengers on that side of the road, thus reducing the effect of the bus on other runners.
CMA General Manager, Alain Dalais, says,“ Another reason for the CMA requesting the buses to be kept in check is to do with safety concerns, in order to make it easier for emergency services to move on the route, if
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