Comrades Marathon: All the past winners since 1921
· Citizen
The 99th running of the Comrades Marathon takes place on Sunday, 14 June. This year it is an ‘up’ run, from Durban to Pietermaritzburg, over a distance of 85.77km.
Visit asg-reflektory.pl for more information.
Tete Dijana and Gerda Steyn won last year’s ‘down’ run, while Dutch athlete Piet Wiersma and Steyn are the men’s and women’s defending ‘up’ run champions after winning the race in 2024.
Bruce Fordyce, with nine wins, and Elena Nurgalieva, with eight wins, are the most successful men’s and women’s runners.
The Comrades Marathon was run for the first time in 1921, with Bill Rowan securing victory.
The race was not held between 1941 and 1945 due to World War II, and it was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid pandemic.
A list of all the winners
2020s
2025 Down: Tete Dijana (5:25:28) and Gerda Steyn (5:51:19)
2024 Up: Piet Wiersma (5:25:00) and Gerda Steyn (5:49:46)
2023 Down: Tete Dijana (5:13:58) and Gerda Steyn (5:44:54)
2022 Down: Tete Dijana (5:30:38) and Alexandra Morozova (6:17:48)
2010s
2019 Up: Edward Mothibi (5:31:33) and Gerda Steyn (5:58:53)
2018 Down: Bongmusa Mthembu (5:26:34) and Ann Ashworth (6:10:03)
2017 Up: Bongmusa Mthembu (5:35:34) and Camille Herron (6:27:35)
2016 Down: David Gatebe (5:18:19) and Charne Bosman (6:25:55)
2015 Up: Gift Kelehe (5:38:36) and Caroline Wostmann (6:12:22)
2014 Down: Bongmusa Mthembu (5:28:29) and Eleanor Greenwood (6:18:12)
2013 Up: Claude Moshiywa (5:32:09) and Elena Nurgalieva (6:27:09)
2012 Down: Ludwig Mamabolo (5:31:03) and Elena Nurgalieva (6:07:12)
2011 Up: Stephen Muzhingi (5:32:45) and Elena Nurgalieva (6:24:11)
2010 Down: Stephen Muzhingi (5:29:01) and Elena Nurgalieva (6:13:03)
2000s
2009 Down: Stephen Muzhingi (5:23:27) and Olesya Nurgalieva (6:12:08)
2008 Up: Leonid Shvetsov (5:24:49) and Elena Nurglieva (6:14:38)
2007 Down: Leonid Shvetsov (5:20:49) and Olesya Nurgalieva (6:10:11)
2006 Up: Oleg Kharitonov (5:35:19) and Elena Nurgalieva (6:09:24)
2005 Down: Sipho Ngomane (5:27:10) and Tatyana Zhirkova (5:58:50)
2004 Up: Vladimir Kotov (5:31:22) and Elena Nurgalieva (6:11:15)
2003 Down: Fusi Nhlapo (5:28:52) and Elena Nurgalieva (6:07:46)
2002 Up: Vladimir Kotov (5:30:59) and Maria Bak (6:14:21)
2001 Down: Andrew Kelehe (5:25:51) and Elvira Kolpakova (6:13:53)
2000 Up: Vladimir Kotov (5:25:33) and Maria Bak (6:15:35)
1990s
1999 Down: Jaroslaw Janicki (5:30:10) and Birgit Lennartz (6:31:03)
1998 Up: Dmitri Grishin (5:26:25) and Rae Bisschoff (6:38:57)
1997 Down: Charl Mattheus (5:28:37) and Ann Trason (5:58:24)
1996 Up: Dmitri Grishin (5:29:33) and Ann Trason (6:13:23)
1995 Down: Shaun Meiklejohn (5:34:02) and Maria Bak (6:22:57)
1994 Up: Alberto Salazar(5:38:39) and Valentina Lyakhova (6:41:23)
1993 Down: Charly Doll (5:39:41) and Tilda Tearle (6:55:07)
1992 Up: Jetman Msutu (5:46:11) and Frances van Blerk (6:51:05)
1991 Down: Nick Bester (5:40:53) and Frith van der Merwe (6:08:19)
1990 Up: Bruce Fordyce (5:40:25) and Naidene Harrison (7:02:00)
1980s
1989 Down: Samuel Tshabalala (5:35:51) and Frith van der Merwe (5:54:43)
1988 Up: Bruce Fordyce (5:27:42) and Frith van der Merwe (6:32:56)
1987 Up: Bruce Fordyce (5:37:01) and Helen Lucre (6:48:42)
1986 Down: Bruce Fordyce (5:24:07) and Helen Lucre (6:55:01)
1985 Up: Bruce Fordyce (5:37:01) and Helen Lucre (6:53:24)
1984 Down: Bruce Fordyce (5:27:18) and Lindsay Weight (6:46:35)
1983 Up: Bruce Fordyce (5:30:12) and Lindsay Weight (7:12:56)
1982 Down: Bruce Fordyce (5:34:22) and Cheryl Winn (7:04:59)
1981 Up: Bruce Fordyce (5:37:28) and Isavel Roche-Kelly (6:44:35)
1980 Down: Alan Robb (5:38:25) and Isavel Roche-Kelly (7:18:00)
1970s
1979 Up: Piet Vorster (5:45:02) and Jan Mallen (8:22:41)
1978 Down: Alan Robb (5:29:14) and Lettie van Zyl (8:25:00)
1977 Up: Alan Robb (5:47:00) and Lettie van Zyl (8:58:00)
1976 Down: Alan Robb (5:40:53) and Lettie van Zyl (9:05:30)
1975 Up: Derek Preiss (5:53:00) and Elizbeth Cavanagh (10:08:00)
1974 Up: Derek Preiss (6:02:49)
1973 Down: Dave Levick (5:39:09)
1972 Up: Mike Orton (5:48:57)
1971 Down: Dave Bagshaw (5:47:06)
1970 Up: Dave Bagshaw (5:51:27)
1960s
1969 Down: Dave Bagshaw (5:45:35)
1968 Up: Jack Mekler (6:01:11)
1967 Down: Manie Kuhn (5:54:10)
1966 Up: Tommy Malone (6:14:07) and Maureen Holland (time unknown, unofficial)
1965 Down: Bernard Gomersall (5:51:09) and Mavis Hutchison (time unknown, unofficial)
1964 Up: Jack Mekler (6:09:54)
1963 Down: Jack Mekler (5:51:20)
1962 Up: John Smith (5:57:05)
1961 Down: George Claassen (6:07:07)
1960 Up: Jack Mekler (5:56:32)
1950s
1959 Down: Trevor Allen (6:28:11)
1958 Up: Jack Mekler (6:26:26)
1957 Down: Mercer Davies (6:13:55)
1956 Up: Gerald Walsh (6:33:35)
1955 Down: Gerald Walsh (6:06:32)
1954 Up: Wally Hayward (6:12:55)
1953 Down: Wally Hayward (5:52:30)
1952 Up: Trevor Allen (7:00:02)
1951 Down: Wally Hayward (6:14:08)
1950 Up: Wally Hayward (6:46:25)
1940s
1949 Down: Reg Allison (6:23:21)
1948 Up: William Savage (713:52)
1947 Down: Hardy Ballington (6:41:05)
1946 Up: Bill Cochrane (7:02:40)
1940 Up: Allen Boyce (6:39:23)
1930s
1939 Down: Johnny Coleman (6:22:05)
1938 Up: Hardy Ballington (6:32:26)
1937 Down: Johnny Coleman (6:23:11)
1936 Up: Hardy Ballington (6:46:14)
1935 Down: Bill Cochrane (6:30:05)
1934 Up: Hardy Ballington (7:07:03)
1933 Down: Hardy Ballington (6:50:37) and Geraldine Watson (9:31:25, unofficial)
1932 Up: William Savage (7:41:58) and Geraldine Watson (11:56:00, unofficial)
1931 Down: Phil Masterton-Smith (7:16:30) and Geraldine Watson (11:00:00, unofficial)
1930 Up: Wally Hayward (7:27:26)
1920s
1929 Down: Darrel Dale (7:52:00)
1928 Up: Frank Sutton (7:49:07)
1927 Down: Arthur Newton (6:40:56)
1926 Up: Harry Phillips (6:57:46)
1925 Down: Arthur Newton (6:24:45)
1924 Up: Arthur Newton (6:58:22)
1923 Down: Arthur Newton (6:56:00) and Frances Hayward (11:35, unofficial)
1922 Up: Arthur Newton (8:40:00)
1921 Down: Bill Rowan (8:59:00)