2026 Comrades Marathon Results: George Kusche & Gerda Steyn Smash Up-Run Records – Full Winners
2026 Comrades Marathon Results: George Kusche & Gerda Steyn Smash Up-Run Records – Full Winners
The 99th Comrades Marathon delivered history on Sunday, 14 June 2026, as both the men’s and women’s winners shattered long-standing course records in the ‘Up Run’ from Durban to Pietermaritzburg.
Men’s Results: George Kusche Makes History
George Kusche, running for the Nedbank Running Club, won the men’s race in a blistering unofficial time of 5:15:56 – shaving nearly nine minutes off the previous up-run record of 5:24:49 set by Russia’s Leonid Shvetsov in 2008.
The 27-year-old South African, who only recently transitioned from track to marathon running, produced a perfectly paced performance. He took the lead with less than an hour to go, surging past early leader Mbuti Mollo at the 4:37 mark with just over 10km remaining.
Men’s Top 10 Finishers
| Position | Athlete | Time (unofficial) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Kusche (South Africa) | 5:15:56 |
| 2 | Piet Wiersma (Netherlands) | 5:19:45 |
| 3 | Mbuti Mollo (South Africa) | 5:21:40 |
| 4 | Edward Mothibi (South Africa) | TBC |
| 5 | Nikolai Volkov (Russia) | TBC |
Piet Wiersma, the 2024 up-run champion, finished second, proving his consistency in the ultra-distance race. Mbuti Mollo was the first KwaZulu-Natal athlete to cross the finish line, taking third place.
Women’s Results: Gerda Steyn’s Fifth Title
Gerda Steyn continued her dominance of South African ultra-running, winning her fifth Comrades Marathon title and fourth in a row (2023, 2024, 2025, 2026).
Running for the Hollywood Running Club, Steyn completed the 85.77km up run in an unofficial time of 5:44:53 – smashing her own up-run record of 5:49:46 set in 2024.
This win makes Steyn the second woman, and seventh runner overall, to take five victories in the history of the race. Russia’s Elena Nurgalieva holds the record with eight wins.
Women’s Top 10 Finishers
| Position | Athlete | Time (unofficial) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gerda Steyn (South Africa) | 5:44:53 |
| 2 | TBC | TBC |
| 3 | TBC | TBC |
Prize Money Breakdown
Both Kusche and Steyn walked away with substantial paydays for their record-breaking performances:
| Prize Category | Amount |
|---|---|
| Winner’s Prize | R925,000 |
| Up-Run Record Bonus | R605,000 |
| Fastest Average Pace Record | R550,000 |
| First South African | R242,000 |
| Total per Winner | ~R2.32 million |
Top 10 Prize Money (Men & Women)
| Position | Prize Money |
|---|---|
| 1 | R925,000 |
| 2 | R464,000 |
| 3 | R334,000 |
| 4 | R168,000 |
| 5 | R131,000 |
| 6 | R76,000 |
| 7 | R66,000 |
| 8 | R58,000 |
| 9 | R49,000 |
| 10 | R39,000 |
The 50th Up Run
This year marked the 50th Up Run in Comrades history (the race alternates between ‘up’ from Durban to Pietermaritzburg and ‘down’ the reverse direction) and the 99th edition of The Ultimate Human Race overall.
The official distance was 85.777 kilometres, with a field of 21,633 runners from more than 80 countries.
Race Format & Start Times
The 2026 Comrades Marathon introduced a new three-group start format:
- Group 1: 05:00
- Group 2: 05:15
- Group 3: 05:30
All runners received the full 12 hours to complete the race, with each group’s official race time commencing at the firing of the start gun for that specific group. The final cut-off times were 17:00, 17:15 and 17:30 respectively.
Record-Breaking Stats
- Kusche’s up-run record: 5:15:56 (previous: 5:24:49 by Leonid Shvetsov, 2008)
- Kusche’s average pace record: Broke Vladimir Kotov’s 2000 record of 3:43.75/km
- Steyn’s up-run record: 5:44:53 (previous: 5:49:46 by herself, 2024)
- Steyn’s average pace record: Broke her own 2024 record of 4:04.28/km
- Steyn’s fifth title: Second woman in history to achieve this milestone
Race Details
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Date | Sunday, 14 June 2026 |
| Edition | 99th Comrades Marathon |
| Direction | Up Run (Durban to Pietermaritzburg) |
| Distance | 85.777 km |
| Field Size | 21,633 runners |
| Countries Represented | 80+ |
| Time Limit | 12 hours |
George Kusche and Gerda Steyn made history at the 99th Comrades Marathon, both smashing the up-run records. Kusche finished in 5:15:56, while Steyn claimed her fifth title in 5:44:53
#ComradesMarathon #Comrades2026 #GeorgeKusche #GerdaSteyn #UltimateHumanRace #UpRun #DurbanToPietermaritzburg
