Mastering Your Pace: Essential Tips for Success in the Comrades Marathon
Comrades doesn't punish slow starters. It punishes fast ones. Every year, thousands of runners pass halfway feeling great, then spend the second half wondering who swapped their legs for wet sandbags. Most of them didn't lack fitness. They lacked a pacing plan they trusted, and the nerve to stick to it.
Here's how to get pacing right, from the start pen to the finish.
Know your numbers before race day
To beat the 12-hour cut-off, you need an average of about 8 minutes per kilometre, stops included. That sounds gentle until you add queues at water tables, toilet breaks and the steep climbs where almost everyone walks.
Work out your target finish time from your recent marathon and long-run data, not from hope. Then plan to run the first half slower than the second half needs. If your goal is 11 hours, a 5:20 first half isn't "time in the bank." It's a loan, and Comrades charges high interest.
Run by effort, not by pace
Your watch can't see the hills, the heat or the crowd. Your body can. For most of the day, aim for an effort of 4 to 5 out of 10. A simple check: you should be able to speak in full sentences. If you can only manage a few words, slow down, even if your watch says you're behind plan.
On the climbs, let your pace drop and keep your effort steady. On the descents, don't chase time. Run them smooth and controlled.
Respect the start
The first few kilometres are dark, packed and slow. That's a gift. Don't weave through the crowd to make up a minute or two. That minute will cost you ten later. Use this stretch to settle your breathing and find your rhythm.
Plan your walk breaks
Walking is not failure. It's a tool. Many strong finishers walk every steep hill from the start, and some use a set pattern, such as walking one minute in every ten. Decide your plan in training, test it on long runs, and follow it on the day, while you still feel fresh. Walk breaks taken early prevent forced ones later.
Know the course direction
Comrades swaps direction each year, and each one tests you in a different way.
Up run: The climbs build through the day, and Polly Shortts waits near the end. Save your legs for the final third.
Down run: It looks easier on paper. It isn't. The long descents batter your quads, and many runners pay for an eager first half with a painful final 30 km. Train on downhills and hold back early.
Study the major climbs (Cowies, Fields, Botha's, Inchanga and Polly Shortts) and know where they fall on your route.
Fuel to your pace
Pacing and fuelling work as a pair. Run too hard and your gut struggles to process food. Aim for 60 to 90 g of carbs per hour, starting early, and practise this on your long runs so race day holds no surprises. Drink to thirst, and take electrolytes, especially as the KZN heat builds after mid-morning.
Use the buses wisely
The pace buses can help, especially if you struggle to judge effort. But a bus runs to its leader's plan, not yours. Some go out too fast, and the crowd around them makes water tables chaotic. Treat a bus as a guide, not a lifeline. Run your own race.
Train the pace you plan to race
You can't master pacing on race day if you've never practised it. In training:
Do most of your running at an easy, chatty effort.
Build long runs on time on your feet, not speed.
Include runs on terrain like your course, both climbs and descents.
Rehearse race-day fuelling, kit and walk breaks on your longest runs.
A good long run should finish with you feeling able to run another 2 km. Aim for the same feeling at the halfway mark of Comrades.
The final stretch
If you've paced well, the last 20 km is where you pass people. That's the reward for patience. Stay steady, keep eating, and let the crowd carry you home.
Need a plan built for you?
Every runner's pacing plan should reflect their fitness, history and goals. At Running Far Coach, I build personal plans for road and trail ultras, including Comrades. If you'd like help getting to the finish strong, get in touch.
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