Familiarizing himself with the route of the Comrades Marathon is one of the many preparations, Shaunesh Maharaj goes through in the lead up to the ultimate race.
The 99th Comrades Marathon takes place this Sunday, 14 June, and the prize purse has never been bigger. The Comrades Marathon Association has confirmed a combined total of over R8.2 million in prize money and incentive bonuses for this year’s Up Run from Durban to Pietermaritzburg.
The first man and woman over the line will each receive R925,000, with runners‑up taking home R464,000 and third‑place finishers R334,000. The first ten men and women will also be awarded solid gold medals.
But while the elite runners chase the big payday, two Woodview Athletic Club athletes are focused on personal milestones.
Forty‑year‑old Shaunesh Maharaj finished the 2018 Comrades with a bronze medal on his birthday, running with seven helium balloons tied to him and a poster that read “birthday boy”. He has run six Comrades, finishing his first two, failing to complete the next three attempts, and completing last year’s down run. He is hoping for his fourth finish in this year’s up run.
