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The 100th Comrades · 13 June 2027The Comrades silver medal: what it takes
The Comrades silver medal is for men from six hours and women from seven hours, to under seven and a half hours. That is an average of 5:00 per kilometre over about 90 km, and as a guide it takes a marathon of about 2:56:00or faster; quicker than about 2:21:00 points to the medal above. Type your own marathon to see where you land.
On that marathon, aim for Silver.
Every medal, and what it takes
| Medal | Finish under | Pace | Marathon needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wally Hayward (men) | 6:00:00 | 4:00/km | about 2:20:43 |
| Isavel Roche-Kelly (women) | 7:00:00 | 4:40/km | about 2:44:11 |
| Silver (men from 6:00) | 7:30:00 | 5:00/km | about 2:55:54 |
| Bill Rowan | 9:00:00 | 6:00/km | about 3:31:05 |
| Robert Mtshali | 10:00:00 | 6:40/km | about 3:54:32 |
| Bronze | 11:00:00 | 7:20/km | about 4:18:00 |
| Vic Clapham | 12:00:00 | 8:00/km | about 4:41:27 |
The numbers for the Silver
| Finish | 6:00:00 to 7:29:59 |
|---|---|
| Average pace | 5:00/km for the cut-off; 4:57/km for a five-minute margin (7:25:00) |
| Even-pace halfway | 3:45:00 at 45 km — and the second half is slower for nearly everyone, so be ahead of it |
| Marathon that points to it | about 2:56:00 (faster than 2:21:00 points to the medal above) |
| The same fitness at shorter races | half marathon about 1:24:00 · 10 km about 38:00 |
| Race day | Sunday, 13 June 2027 |
Where the name comes from
The silver is the oldest goal in Comrades running after the race itself: for decades, a sub-7:30 was the line between running Comrades and racing it.
How people earn it
It needs roughly a sub-2:56 marathon and a body that can still run at 80 km. Silver runners tend to treat Comrades as a race from the start — no walking except perhaps the steepest pitches — so the training leans on long runs at goal pace and on downhill running.
For that fitness, Race Shape would set easy runs no faster than 4:44/km (5:08/km if you train in Johannesburg), marathon pace about 4:15/km and threshold about 4:01/km. A full 24-week block for the Comrades starts on Monday Monday, 21 December 2026; a plan built later counts back from race day and fits the weeks that are left.
Medal standards as published by the race organisers. Check the official rules for the year you run before you plan around a cut-off.
Build my Silver plan — free to buildSee your whole block before you pay.
Common questions
What time do you need for a Comrades silver medal?
6:00:00 to 7:29:59: men from six hours and women from seven hours, to under seven and a half hours.
What marathon time do I need for a Comrades silver medal?
As a guide, about 2:56:00 or faster. Real finishers average about 2.56× their marathon over this distance, so a marginal qualifier is rarely enough on the day.
What pace is a Comrades silver medal?
5:00 per kilometre on average to finish at the cut-off. With walk breaks, your running pace has to be quicker than that.
When should I start training for the Comrades silver medal?
A full 24-week block for the Sunday, 13 June 2027 race starts on Monday Monday, 21 December 2026, on top of a marathon base. Start dates for every race.