The Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) said they are pleased to provide an update on the Comrades Marathon Runners’ Relief Fund.
The initiative was launched by the CMA in November last year.
The CMA said that in line with its Runners First initiative, the association looked at ways of improving the runner experience and also assisting those disadvantaged athletes in making their Comrades Marathon entry affordable and within reach if they were unemployed or had a total annual income of less than R30 000.
“The CMA had set aside R1 million to kickstart the fund, which allowed for a reduction of 50% of the entry fee for up to 1500 South African entrants. Runners, supporters and the public at large were called upon to contribute to the Runners’ Relief Fund, and since its launch, the response was overwhelmingly positive.”
CMA chairperson, Mqondisi Ngcobo said that it was heartening to see how well this initiative was received, already on the opening day of entries, both from donors and potential beneficiaries. “We were highly pleased with the response from our runners and stakeholders to the launch of this fund, with generous contributions being made from far and wide.”
Ngcobo added that 821 athletes made donations, ranging from an amount of R1.00 to a substantial contribution of R5,000.00. “A total of R119,818.00 in donations were made by runners to the fund. On the receiving end, an astounding 776 athletes benefited from the Runners’ Relief Fund with the value of entry fees subsidised having amounted to R404,870.00. The current balance in the fund is R714,950.00 which will be carried forward to the 2025 race.”
Ngcobo said that all contributions to the fund are greatly appreciated and will allow for more athletes to participate in the Comrades Marathon. “We look forward to making the Comrades Marathon more inclusive and accessible to athletes from all walks of life, thanks to initiatives like the Runners’ Relief Fund.”
The Mercury