Runners Cautioned Not to Believe Fake News About Comrades Marathon Entries

Image: courtesy of CMA

The Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) would like to inform the running community that a fake press release is doing the rounds on social media about the percentage of novice runners in the 2026 list of entrants, which is allegedly leading to the CMA considering a change to qualification times.

“While this press release looks genuine, even with our official letterhead added, I can confirm that this is fake news,” says CMA General Manager Alain Dalais. “To begin with, the percentage of novice runners provided in this fake statement, 73%, is massively inflated – the actual percentage of novices in the field is 25.8% – and the second sentence literally contradicts the first sentence, by then saying that only 68% of those novices are running the event for the first time. This entire statement is false, and the CMA is not considering any changes to the qualification times.”

“I would like to call on those responsible for this fake press release, and those spreading other false rumours, to please refrain from doing so, as your actions cause great confusion and unhappiness amongst the running community. The Comrades Marathon has always stood for sportsmanship, fair competition, camaraderie and a spirit of ubuntu, and fake news such as this adds nothing but confusion, anger and frustration,” continues Dalais.

“I also call on our runners to carefully read all Comrades Marathon news on social media, because often there are clues that it is not genuine news, such as in this supposed statement. If in doubt about something you’ve seen or heard, please consult the official Comrades Marathon website – www.comrades.com – and the official social media channels, to verify if we have actually published that news.”