Netstar to keep Comrades Marathon Runners and Spectators on Track
The Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) is proud to announce South Africa's leading vehicle tracking and telematics provider, Netstar, as the Official Real-Time Traffic Monitoring and Insights Partner of the 2026 event.
This will see Netstar's real-time traffic updates and route information made available to the public on the official Comrades Marathon social media platforms throughout race day. This partnership will therefore benefit not just the organising team, but also the spectators and supporters, and thus will directly benefit the runners as well.
Tracking Technology and IngenuityRace day at the Comrades Marathon is as much a logistical challenge as it is a physical one. This is not only the case for the event organisers and volunteers managing a complex, moving operation across 85.777km, but also for those families and friends trying to catch their runners or clubmates at multiple points along the route while navigating roads under high congestion pressure. What makes the difference between a good day and a chaotic one for all of them is reliable, real-time information.
Under the campaign banner Keeping Everyone on Track, Netstar will deploy the same combination of technology and human ingenuity it uses every day in vehicle tracking and fleet management, with real-time monitoring, live data analytics, and trained operatives making decisions on the ground to identify congestion before it compounds, redirect resources in real time, and keep the route moving for everyone on it.
This traffic monitoring technology across the full route will give event organisers and volunteers the real-time intelligence they need to manage resources and deliver a better experience for the runners, while also providing spectators and supporters with real-time info that will help them navigate the roads while supporting their runners.
“Netstar was built on an understanding of South African roads, honed over three decades, and this is something that very few organisations can match,” says Warren Mande, Managing Director of Netstar. “The Comrades Marathon gives us the opportunity to put that expertise to work on one of this country’s most demanding road events, and to make a real difference to every person on that route, whether they're running, watching, or simply trying to get home.”
Smoother Race Day ExperienceOn race day, Netstar operatives will continuously monitor the full route from 03h00 to 19h30, using the company’s traffic-monitoring technology. A moving monitoring point will track the flow of the event from the lead elite athletes to tail runners, with intensified coverage at high-traffic areas such as interchanges, spectator access points, and known bottlenecks.
When congestion builds, operatives will notify the Venue Operations Centre (VOC), providing location, severity, estimated impact, and recommended actions. That intelligence will be shared with traffic marshals on the ground, enabling faster, better-informed decisions about where resources should be deployed.
Furthermore, a Netstar helicopter will provide aerial coverage between 07h00 and 16h30, capturing footage of the route and supporting the operational team's situational awareness from above. Meanwhile, on the ground, marshals will be equipped with Netstar's StarTag tracking technology, giving the control room a live, shared map of pointsman locations for the duration of the race.
Put together, the combined contribution of the Netstar technology and team of experts will ensure a much smoother race day experience, says Comrades Marathon General Manager, Alain Dalais. “In Netstar, we have found a partner that shares our commitment to making the experience better for every single person involved in the race, and we are proud to welcome them to the Comrades family in 2026.”
In particular, Dalais welcomes Netstar’s commitment to giving supporters on the route real-time information that will help them in their supportive role. “The family, friends, clubmates, sponsors, volunteers and media who will be on the route on race day will all benefit from Netstar’s involvement in the race. The CMA believes that everybody at the roadside deserve a great race day too, so this new partnership is a most welcome advance in Comrades Marathon infrastructure and management. We look forward to working with Netstar to keep everyone on track — from before the start gun to after the final cut-off.”
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