An analysis of participation, performance and profile of runners at the 2019 South African Comrades Marathon

Abstract

This study sought to determine the participation, performance and profile of runners at the 2019 South African Comrades Marathon. It also investigated the association between the medal type and the runners' characteristics, category, and countries of origin. The study targeted 16 438 marathon runners who completed the competition within the prescribed period of under twelve hours. The Chi-square test was used to determine the association between the runners’ demographic characteristics and medal type. The results showed that 81.4% of the runners who completed the marathon were male; the majority being from South Africa, with 1 winning gold medals. Runners in the senior category and veteran won gold medals, while the other participants were awarded the Vic Clapham medal. The medal type with the runners’ gender (χ2 = 539.7, p < 0.05), category of runners (χ2 = 399.1, p < 0.05) and country of origin (χ2 = 313.8, p < 0.05) were analysed. The findings suggest that when organisers of the Comrades Marathon decide on the types of medals to award to participants, the gender, category, and country of origin of runners are considered. These findings could provide practical information for analysing the performance of participants in the Comrades Marathon. They could also be useful to sports scientists and professional sports trainers who could use them to develop gender- and age-specific workout programmes to assist athletes to set realistic goals and reach their targets.