Piet Wiersma of the Netherlands emerged as the convincing men’s winner of the 2024 Comrades Marathon up run, crossing the finish line in Pietermaritzburg in an impressive time of 5 hours, 25 minutes, and 0 seconds.
Wiersma narrowly missed breaking Leonid Shvetsov’s 2008 up run record of 5:24:39 by just 21 seconds. His time now stands as the second-fastest in the men’s up run. His Nedbank Running Club teammate, Dan Moselakwe, secured second place with a time of 5:25:45, followed by Ethiopian runner Degefa Lafebo, who finished third in 5:27:48.
Having finished just three seconds behind Tete Dijana in the previous year’s down run, Wiersma capitalized on his uphill strength, making a decisive break on the notorious climb up Polly Shorts and widening the gap as he neared Pietermaritzburg.
Tete Dijana, the winner of successive down runs in 2020 and 2021, was unable to join the elite group of five men who have won a ‘hat-trick’ of three successive Comrades Marathons in the event’s 103-year history. Dijana stayed with the leading pack until the last 25 kilometers but eventually fell back, finishing 14th with a time of 5:42:50.
The 2024 Comrades Marathon marked the first up run since 2019 and covered a relatively short route of 85.9 kilometers. Starting at 5 am from Doctor Pixley Kaseme Street in front of Durban’s city hall, the race concluded at Scottsville Race Course in Pietermaritzburg. Lesotho’s Jobo Khatoane led the race for about two hours in the first half before fading from the leading positions.
Russian runner Aleksei Beresnev took the lead from Khatoane around halfway through the Thousand Hills. However, his surge proved premature. The chasing group, including Dijana, Dan Moselakwe, Wiersma, and Lafebo, overtook Beresnev just past the Comrades’ highest point at Umlaas Road, near Camperdown. Another Nedbank runner, Edward Mothibi, who had initially dropped off the pace, also reappeared within sight of the front group.
Wiersma, who had dedicated six weeks of training on hills in Kenya before the race, made his decisive move up Polly Shorts, pulling away from Moselakwe in second and Lafebo in third. This strategic move solidified his lead and eventual victory.
After the last up run in 2019, the 2020 and 2021 Comrades Marathons were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2022 and 2023 races were down runs, necessitated by roadworks on the N3 outside Pietermaritzburg.
In 2024, over 20,000 runners participated in the ultra-marathon, a testament to the enduring popularity and prestige of the Comrades Marathon.
2024 Comrades Marathon Men’s Leaderboard:
Piet Wiersma – 5:25:00
Dan Moselakwe – 5:25:45
Degefa Lafebo – 5:27:48
Joseph Manyedi – 5:28:33
Andrew Davies – 5:30:46
Bongmusa Mthembu – 5:34:45
Elov Olsson – 5:35:24
Teboho Sello – 5:36:11
Alex Milne – 5:36:51
Givemore Madzinganyama – 5:37:09
In other news – Trouble in paradise: Letoya Makhene leaves wife, Lebo seriously injured after scalding her with boiling water
Popular South African actress and singer Letoya Makhene has allegedly scalded her spouse, Lebohang Pulumo Keswa, with boiling water, bludgeoned her with an ironing board, and also threw a vase at her before damaging furniture and burning down the curtains of their Randfontein marital home.
These incidents occurred on three separate occasions in the past three years. Read more
