George Kusche breaks Leonid Shvetsov’s 18-year record to win the 2026 Comrades Marathon

South African athletes dominated the 99th edition of the Comrades Marathon on Sunday, 14 June 2026, with George Kusche claiming victory in the men’s race, while Piet Wiersma and Mbuti Mollo completed an all-record-breaking podium finish in second and third places respectively.

Not only did Kusche win the world-renowned ultra-marathon, known as the Ultimate Human Race, but he also shattered the long-standing up-run record of 5:24:49 set by Russian athlete Leonid Shvetsov in 2008.

Kusche completed the 87km journey from Durban to Pietermaritzburg in an impressive time of 5:16:56, slicing nearly eight minutes off Shvetsov’s record.

Wiersma and Mollo also finished inside the previous record time, crossing the line in 5:17:36 and 5:21:31 respectively, underlining the exceptional standard of this year’s race.

In the women’s race, South African star Gerda Steyn once again proved her dominance by setting a new up-run record of 5:45:02 to claim victory. Zimbabwe’s Nobukhosi Tshuma finished second, while South Africa’s Yvette van Zyl secured third place after another strong performance.

Steyn’s triumph marked her third Comrades Marathon up-run record, further cementing her status as one of the greatest athletes in the history of the race.

Both Kusche and Steyn will smile all the way to the bank after pocketing R925,000 each in prize money, along with additional bonuses for setting new records.

The runners-up in both the men’s and women’s races will receive R464,000 each, while the third-placed finishers will earn R334,000 apiece.

The 2026 Comrades Marathon will be remembered as one of the fastest editions in the event’s history, with record-breaking performances highlighting the growing strength of South African distance running.