The elite athletes have 8.2-million reasons to push for top honours in 2026
ELITE RACE
compete wearing their club colours approved by their provincial athletics federation.
• The ASA domicile rule will be strictly enforced, except for those athletes appearing on the current ASA National Athlete List.
TEAMS( Professional Clubs)
MEN
WOMEN
1 R44,770 R44,770
Image: Comrades Marathon Association, Tobias Ginsberg
2026 COMRADES MARATHON PRIZE MONEY
TOP 10 ATHLETES
• The first 10 men and women over the line, irrespective of their age category, will be awarded gold medals as well as the following prize monies.
• The prize monies for the top 10 men and women include a Cell C Top Up that boosts their winnings by just over 30 %.
MEN
WOMEN
1 R925,000 R925,000 2 R464,000 R464,000 3 R334,000 R334,000 4 R168,000 R168,000 5 R131,000 R131,000 6 R76,000 R76,000 7 R66,000 R66,000 8 R58,000 R58,000 9 R49,000 R49,000 10 R39,000 R39,000
SOUTH AFRICAN ATHLETES
• The first South African citizen( man and woman) to complete the event will each receive an additional prize.
MEN
WOMEN
1 R242,000 R242,000
KWAZULU-NATAL ATHLETES
• The first three KwaZulu-Natal Athletes( men and women) to complete the event will each receive additional prize money from the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, provided they finish within the top 30 men and women.
• A KwaZulu-Natal Athlete shall be defined as an athlete domiciled in the province of KwaZulu-Natal and licensed by KwaZulu-Natal Athletics, and includes any athlete domiciled in KwaZulu-Natal who appears on the current ASA National List and is a member of a club in another province.
MEN
WOMEN
1 R77,000 R77,000 2 R48,400 R48,400 3 R24,200 R24,200
AGE CATEGORIES
• All age category prizes will be awarded as per chronological age as printed on an athlete’ s race number. This also applies to team prizes.
• Unless an athlete specifically requested in writing to the CMA before 4 May 2026 to change their age category to a lower age category, they will be entered in the age category of their chronological age.
• Athletes will not be eligible for a prize in more than one age category, i. e., athletes are only eligible for a prize in the age category applicable to him / her or the younger category chosen by him / her as indicated on the official race number / bib.
• Athletes must provide proof of their age in order to claim an age category prize.
MEN
40 – 49 years
WOMEN
1 R24,200 R24,200 2 R14,520 R14,520 3 R7,260 R7,260 50 – 59 years 1 R14,520 R14,520 2 R7,260 R7,260 3 R4,840 R4,840 60 – 69 years 1 R7,260 R7,260 2 R4,840 R4,840 3 R3,630 R3,630 70 + years 1 R6,050 R6,050 2 R4,030 R4,030 3 R2,020 R2,020
TEAM COMPETITION
• Team prizes will only be awarded to South African citizens.
• All athletes declared as being in the professional team category are automatically eliminated from any recreational team competition.
• All team prizes will be calculated on the combined times of the first four( 4) club members to finish the race.
• To qualify for a team prize, athletes must
TEAMS( Recreational Clubs)
Open
MEN
BEST‘ UP RUN’ TIME
• Should the winners( man and woman) of the 2026 Comrades Marathon break the Best Time previously recorded for the‘ Up Run,’ he or she will receive an additional cash payment.
• The best‘ Up Run’ times previously recorded are:
• Men: 5:24:49 by Leonid Shvetsov in 2008
• Women: 5:49:46 by Gerda Steyn in 2024
MEN
WOMEN
1 R605,000 R605,000
CELL C AVERAGE PACE
• Should the winners( man and woman) of the 2026 Comrades Marathon break the fastest average pace previously recorded for the‘ Up Run,’ he or she will receive an additional cash payment.
• The best‘ Up Run’ average paces previously recorded are:
• Men: 3:43.75 / km by Vladimir Kotov in 2000
• Women: 4:04.28 / km by Gerda Steyn in 2024
MEN
WOMEN
1 R550,000 R550,000
CELL C HOT SPOT
• The first athletes( man and woman) to pass the designated Cell C Hot Spot, and to then complete the race( irrespective of final finishing position), will qualify for the Hot Spot cash incentive.
MEN
WOMEN
1 R19,360 R19,360 2 R14,520 R14,520 Over 40 years 1 R14,520 R14,520
2026 COMRADES MARATHON INCENTIVE BONUSES
WOMEN
1 R55,000 R55,000
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