The 2026 Comrades Marathon set off at 5 a.m. local time on Sunday, June 14. A field of over 21,000 runners took to the start line of the world’s oldest and largest ultramarathon, passing under the arch in a blur of lights and color to the spine-tingling notes of “Chariots of Fire.” Dominant performances from George Kusche and Gerda Steyn, both of South Africa, saw two new course records in the Up Run direction of the race with times of 5:15:56 and 5:44:53, respectively.
Vic Clapham, a World War I veteran, established the race in 1921 to commemorate the lives of South African soldiers, and it is steeped in history and tradition. The motto, “Ska Fela Moya,” means “Never Lose Hope,” and reflects the journey runners must all make to reach the finish line.
Gerda Steyn wins the 2026 Comrades Marathon in course record time. Photo: Comrades Marathon
The Comrades Marathon is an 86-kilometer point-to-point course running between Durban on the Indian Ocean coast and Pietermaritzburg in South Africa. The race alternates directions each year, either traveling “down” or “up,” and this was an up year. This running marks the 99th edition of the race and the 50th official Up Run. The Up Run course starts at sea level, climbs about 1,750 meters, and features five major hills, the steepest of which, Polly Shortts, is in the last 10 kilometers.
In the men’s race, where many early front-runners abandoned or dropped back through the ranks, Kusche paced his race to perfection. He ran in a large chasing pack for the first half of the race, before surging through the field in the latter stages. He moved into the lead in the last climb, overtaking the weakening Mbuti Mollo (South Africa), who had been running at or near the front for the duration of the race. His finishing time of 5:15:56 demolished the previous record of 5:24:49, set by Leonid Shvetsov of Russia in 2008. This result is somewhat of a redemption after Kusche’s debut Comrades Marathon in 2025, where he finished 12th.
In a testament to the high-level field in this year’s race, the top five men all finished under the previous record.
Steyn, who is South African but lives in the United Arab Emirates, added to her impressive accolades by winning the race for the fifth time, and fourth consecutive year. She finished in 5:44:53, breaking her own course record of 5:49:46 from 2024. Her day was a display of careful tactics, patience, and waiting until just before the very last climb to pull away from the field. She powered through the final 20k of the race to open an eight-minute gap between her and the second-place finisher, Nobukhosi Tshuma of Zimbabwe.
Read on to see how the races played out.
2026 Comrades Marathon Men’s Race
Mahau Rasogo (South Africa) was the early leader of the race, cresting Cowies, the first of the five hills, and descending into Pinetown, around 18.5k, in 1:02. Jobo Khatoane (Lesotho) and Samuel Cijimpi Moloi (South Africa) came through a bit over three minutes behind, and a further three minutes ahead of Mbuti Mollo (South Africa).
Rasogo withdrew from the race shortly after Pinetown, leaving Cijimpi Moloi to take the lead over Fields, the second hill. Cijimpi Moloi came through 25k just ahead of Khatoane, with Mollo coming through three minutes later. Nikolai Volkov (Russia), who took third last year, was in fourth place, 5:41 back from the lead. Two minutes behind Volkov, a group of over 50 runners gave chase.
Khatoane slowed over the following 5k and soon dropped, leaving Cijimpi Moloi to strike out alone at the front. He continued to lead over the summit of Botha’s Hill, reaching Drummond, the halfway point, in 2:35, nearly five minutes ahead of Mollo. Behind the top two, the climb over Botha’s Hill saw Haruki Okayama and Toru Somiya, both of Japan, open a nearly 30-second gap on the main group to come through the halfway point in third and fourth place. Both have a long history in road ultrarunning, with Okayama’s best prior performance a win of the 2022 IAU 100k World Championships and Somiya’s a fourth place at the same event in 2024.
After leading the pack for over 25k, Cijimpi Moloi stepped out of the race after the 50k point, passing the lead to Mollo, the last of the early frontrunners. Okayama and Volkov continued to chase Mollo.
George Kusche (South Africa) had been sitting patiently in the chasing group for the first half of the race. He made his move on the climb up Inchanga, breaking from the ranks to enter the top five. Piet Wiersma of The Netherlands, the defending Up run champion from 2024, also made a move here, following Kusche through the field.
Kusche continued to chase down the lead pack, moving into second place at 57k, 4:25 behind Mollo. By 67k, the gap had closed to under two minutes, and Mollo was struggling, weaving dangerously along the road. Behind them, Wiersma was continuing to move well in fifth in a small breakaway pack. Further down the top 10, Okayama and Volkov were still very much in the race, and Alex Milne (U.K.), the winner of the 2025 IAU 50k World Championships, had broken into 10th place.
With less than 10k to go, Kusche moved past the slowing Mollo, rapidly widening the gap as he moved up the last hill of the day, Polly Shortts. As he flew down from the summit, in the last 5k of the race, Leonid Shvetsov’s course record from 2008 was clearly in danger, and by 84k, less than 2k from the finish, Kusche had nearly a four-minute lead on Mollo.
George Kusche, the 2026 Comrades Marathon men’s winner. Photo: Comrades Marathon
George Kusche won the 2026 Comrades Marathon in 5:15:56, demolishing Shvetsov’s previous record of 5:24:49.
Wiersma put in a push up the Polly Shortts climb, moving from fifth place at 67k, to third place, just over a minute behind Mollo by 79k. By 84k, he had closed the gap to less than 10 seconds and overtook Mollo in the final 2k. Piet Wiersma finished second in 5:19:36. This performance follows his win in 2024 and two prior second places in 2025 and 2023.
Mollo, having led the race between 57k and 67k, seemed to be at breaking point more than once in the closing miles. A brave finish saw Mbuti Mollo cross the line in third place in 5:21:31.
Alex Milne followed in fourth place, in 5:22:29, and Haruki Okayama rounded out the top five in 5:24:46.
Although it was Kusche who would be crowned as the new Up Run record holder, the top five men finished under the previous course record.
The top American was Charlie Lawrence, the 50-mile world record holder, who finished sixth. Volkov ultimately dropped back a bit, but remained in the top 10 at eighth place, and Somiya, who ran near the front early, finished in 15th.
2026 Comrades Marathon Men’s Results
- George Kusche (South Africa) – 5:15:56
- Piet Wiersma (The Netherlands) – 5:19:36
- Mbuti Mollo (South Africa) – 5:21:31
- Alex Milne (U.K.) – 5:22:29
- Haruki Okayama (Japan) – 5:24:46
- Charlie Lawrence (U.S.) – 5:27:08
- Lloyd Bosman (South Africa) – 5:28:53
- Nikolai Volkov (Russia) – 5:28:59
- Vasilii Korytkin (Russia) – 5:29:29
- Tebogo Pulusa (South Africa) – 5:29:40
2026 Comrades Marathon Women’s Race
The front of the women’s race stayed close over the first 18.5k to Pinetown, with less than 30 seconds separating first through fifth place. Defending champion Gerda Steyn (South Africa) led the pack over the steady climb out of Durban, and over Cowies, the first of the five hills that define the course, descending into Pinetown in 1:16, along with Shelmith Muriuki (Kenya), the previous year’s third-place finisher, and Nobukhosi Tshuma (Zimbabwe). Dikeledi Majara (Lesotho) followed, a further 10 seconds back, with Irvette van Zyl (South Africa) closing the top five.
There was no change to the top five as they climbed out of Pinetown and over Fields, the second hill of the course. By 30k at Winston Park, Tshuma, Muriuki, and Steyn had built up a 40-second lead over Majara, with van Zyl a further 50 seconds back. Naomi Robinson (U.K.), winner of the 2025 IAU 50k World Championships, was chasing the top five, coming through 2:16 behind the leaders and in sixth place.
Steyn, Muriuki, and Tshuma continued to run as a group, working together to crest the third hill, Botha’s Hill, and descending to the halfway point of Drummond just before 43k in 2:54. Behind them, the field had continued to spread out. Van Zyl and Robinson held fourth and fifth place, 3:20 and 5:20 behind the leaders, respectively.
The positions in the field held steady over the next 7k, with the front trio extending their lead over van Zyl and Robinson up the fourth hill, Inchanga. However, by 57k, there was some movement at the front. Steyn and Tshuma had used the descent from Inchanga to pull away from Muriuki, working together and building a gap of almost 1:45 on third place.
Steyn continued to push the pace from here, shaking off Tshuma as they approached the last hill of the day, then stretching out her lead over the climb. By the time Steyn had reached Mkondeni at 79k, she had banked an impressive lead of 6:25 over second-place Tshuma.
Gerda Steyn kisses the trophy after winning the 2026 Comrades Marathon. Photo: Comrades Marathon
Gerda Steyn flew across the finish line to claim her fifth, and fourth consecutive, Comrades Marathon win in 5:44:53. In doing so, she also improved on her own Up Run record of 5:49:46, which she set two years ago, the last time the run went in the up direction, by just under five minutes.
Nobukhosi Tshuma finished strongly, gritting her teeth over the closing miles to finish second in 5:53:36, improving on her fifth-place finish at the race in 2024.
Muriuki, after running in the lead group for over 62k, began to tire. It was before Umlaas Road at about 70k that Irvette van Zyl moved past her into third place, holding onto that position all the way to the finish line and thereby rounding off the podium in 6:02:30. This was an improvement on her fourth-place finish in 2025, when she finished just behind Muriuki.
Robinson, who’d spent much of the race in fifth place, made a run to pass Muriuki in the closing kilometers. In the end, it was Shelmith Muriuki who came out on top, however, crossing the line in fourth place with a time of 6:06:38, one spot behind where she finished last year.
Naomi Robinson finished in fifth place in 6:07:55. After running in the top five early, Majara faded over the second half to finish eighth.
Former 50-mile world record holder Courtney Olsen, who finished third in 2024, ran consistently to place seventh, the top American.
2026 Comrades Marathon Women’s Results
- Gerda Steyn (South Africa) – 5:44:53
- Nobukhosi Tshuma (Zimbabwe) – 5:53:36
- Irvette van Zyl (South Africa) – 6:02:30
- Shelmith Muriuki (Kenya) – 6:06:38
- Naomi Robinson (U.K) – 6:07:55
- Loveness Madziva (Zimbabwe)- 6:09:54
- Courtney Olsen (U.S.) – 6:11:20
- Dikeledi Majara (Lesotho) – 6:12:29
- Jenet Mbhele (South Africa) – 6:13:08
- Carla Molinaro (U.K.) – 6:14:04
