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KwaZulu-Natal Athletics (KZNA) is threatening legal action to shut down the 100th Comrades Marathon next year, saying it has not sanctioned the 2027 edition of South Africa’s most famous road race.The Comrades Marathon Association (CMA), which cancelled its affiliation with KZNA over a perceived attempt by the provincial body to take control of the race organisation, has announced that the event will take place on June 13 2027. It also countered the race dates for next year and 2028 had been approved by Athletics South Africa (ASA), the national federation. In a lawyer’s letter sent to CMA on Tuesday, KZNA pointed out that CMA was not affiliated with the provincial body, which claims that all athletics meetings in the province “must be organised under the auspices of KZNA or a structure of KZNA”. #ThrowbackThursday: Rewinding the tape... ⏪🏃♂️💨⏪🔥2 weeks ago, thousands of minds, bodies, and spirits were tested on the road to Pietermaritzburg. The race is over, but the triumph lasts forever.Hit play and relive the ultimate energy of the 2026 Up Run. 🎬🏅#TBT… pic.twitter.com/I5LR8alQsU— ComradesRace (@ComradesRace) July 2, 2026
“The announcement creates the false impression that KZNA has sanctioned the 2027 Comrades Marathon and that CMA has been authorised by KZNA to host the event,” read the letter, which gave CMA until Friday afternoon to agree to stop making any announcements about next year’s race.“Should you nevertheless persist in the abovementioned wrongful conduct, we hold instructions to institute an application for an urgent interdict, prior to the opening of race entries, in terms of which CMA will be prevented from hosting the 2027 Comrades Marathon.” The Comrades Marathon boosts KwaZulu-Natal’s GDP by more than R600m a year. In its response on Wednesday afternoon, CMA countered that it had not claimed that next year’s race had been sanctioned by KZNA. “We record that the 2027 and 2028 Comrades Marathon race dates have been duly approved at the national level by [ASA].”CMA said ASA board member Enoch Skosana, the chair of the road running committee, had confirmed in writing to CMA general manager Alain Dalais that CMA’s request for June 13 2027 and June 11 2028 had been approved. The 9-hour line. ⏳86 kilometers behind them, and it all comes down to a frantic final sprint against the ticking clock.Watch the final countdown to the Bill Rowan medal cut-off. Absolute triumph on one side of the gun, ultimate heartbreak on the other. The definition of… pic.twitter.com/uhGF835mf0— ComradesRace (@ComradesRace) June 14, 2026
