Comrades Marathon: 5 runners still in hospital 'are stable and recovering'
Twenty-five Comrades Marathon runners required in-hospital treatment after this year's race.
Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) GM Alain Dalais said 440 people were treated in the medical tent in the finish area and 200 were sent to hospital for evaluation — 169 from along the route and 31 from the finish.
Five were still hospitalised on Wednesday, including Capetonian Moira Harding, who went missing after the race and was found the next morning in a hypothermic condition in central Durban, about 7km from the finish.
'All these patients are stable and recovering and likely to be discharged in the next few days,' he said.
While acknowledging some aspects of the race — particularly congestion in the finish area — need to be improved, Dalais praised the CMA medical team, saying their protocols were excellent and focused on ensuring athletes' safety.
He confirmed no fatalities were recorded after this year's race, dismissing false rumours circulating online.
The reassurance came amid heightened sensitivity after footage showing some runners crawling across the finish line and tragic incidents in previous years.
In 2022, runners Phakamile Ntshiza and Mzameleni Mthembu died after taking part in the race. Before that, the last time multiple deaths occurred during a Comrades Marathon was in 2007.
In 2019, Limpopo runner Sonnyboy Ngobeni died two days after the race. Comrades medical director Dr Jeremy Boulter clarified that Ngobeni's death was not included in the official tally as he had not been treated on race day and no link to the event could be medically confirmed. 'The statistic only takes into account deaths of runners treated or hospitalised on race day,' he said.
Boulter noted that while it's often difficult to determine the exact cause of such deaths, most appear to be linked to cardiac arrest, often triggered by undiagnosed or underlying conditions or illness.
He cautioned runners against participating while ill and advised avoiding medication during the race unless prescribed by a doctor.
'People mustn't run if they are unwell or had any illness in the past three weeks before the Comrades. If they feel they are running into trouble, they should pull out and catch a bus home instead of pushing through.'
The race this year had 18,194 official finishers which was 86.75% of the runners who qualified to start the 89.98km course, slightly longer than last year's 87.70km.
Dalais said organisers were reviewing the challenges experienced on race day and steps would be taken to improve on these aspects for next year's race and for the 2027 Down Run, which will be the 100th edition of the race.
Criticism of the new street finish at People's Park in Durban for the 2025 race would be dealt with, he pledged.
'Congestion and dealing with the flow of people in the venue were particularly challenging in the last hour. This is one of the most important aspects of the race plan that we are looking at carefully and working to fix for next time.
'We are taking note of all the feedback and input from our runners — whether positive or negative — and adding this to the post-race debrief notes. We want to assure the running community we will implement changes and improvements to enhance the overall runner and spectator experience.'
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