Moira Harding, a runner in the W50-59 age category who finished Sunday’s Comrades Marathon in South Africa in 10:49:58, mysteriously went missing after the race and was only found Monday morning, disoriented and dehydrated, several kilometres from the race finish. According to local reports, Harding was airlifted to hospital and is recovering.
When her family was unable to locate her after the race, notices were issued on social media; this elicited numerous complaints about inadequate signage and chaos at the finish line in Durban, which had been changed from the cricket stadium to an outdoor, on-street finish. Commenters mentioned having encountered similar situations, with exhausted runners unable to find their supporters (it would be evening, and dark, by the time most finishers were leaving the area) or obtain adequate aid after finishing.
“This could’ve been avoided if the finish was in the stadium,” one commenter said.
“You guys need to seriously stop changing the finish line to Durban,” said another. “The cricket stadium or [Moses Mabhida Stadium] are fine. This finishing venue was absolutely horrendous. We spent hours looking for our loved one in fear of something like this happening.”
Harding runs with the Fish Hoek Athletic Club in Cape Town.
Other changes were implemented to deal with the rising number of entrants, including a 15-minute staggered start, with runners divided into two starting waves, based on their qualifying time. Comrades Marathon Association general manager Alain Dalais is quoted on the race website as saying, “We are really happy with the way the split start worked so well, with both Start Groups clearing the start line within six minutes. We’ve also received a lot of positive feedback about the new street finish, and we look forward to building on these aspects as we prepare for 2027.”
81-year-old bricklayer becomes Comrades Marathon’s oldest finisher
The Comrades Marathon is an annual 90-km ultramarathon between Pietermaritzburg and Durban, and the world’s largest ultra, with 22,677 entrants in 2025. Noted for the five major hills on the course and the strict 12-hour time limit for finishing, the race switches direction each year, with the Pietermaritzburg-to-Durban version being a net downhill and Durban-to-Pietermaritzburg being a net uphill.
This year’s race was won by South Africa’s Tete Dijana (for a third time, in 5:25:28) and Gerda Steyn (her fourth victory, this year in 5:51:19).
2027 will mark the race’s 100th anniversary.
