Race Shape › Calculators › Comrades predictor › The Wally Hayward medal: what it takes
The 100th Comrades · 13 June 2027The Wally Hayward medal: what it takes
The Wally Hayward medal is for men finishing from 11th place to under six hours. That is an average of 4:00 per kilometre over about 90 km, and as a guide it takes a marathon of about 2:21:00or faster. Type your own marathon to see where you land.
On that marathon, aim for Wally Hayward.
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 Wally Hayward
| Finish | under 6:00:00 |
|---|---|
| Average pace | 4:00/km for the cut-off; 3:57/km for a five-minute margin (5:55:00) |
| Even-pace halfway | 3:00:00 at 45 km — and the second half is slower for nearly everyone, so be ahead of it |
| Marathon that points to it | about 2:21:00 |
| The same fitness at shorter races | half marathon about 1:07:00 · 10 km about 30:00 |
| Race day | Sunday, 13 June 2027 |
Where the name comes from
Wally Hayward won the Comrades five times between 1930 and 1954, and came back to finish it again in 1989 at the age of 80. The medal in his name is the first one below gold for men.
How people earn it
This is elite amateur territory: a marathon well under 2:30 and years of high mileage. Runners who earn it race the down run as a long tempo, take on fuel from the start, and train the quads for the descents into Durban as deliberately as they train the engine.
For that fitness, Race Shape would set easy runs no faster than 3:50/km (4:09/km if you train in Johannesburg), marathon pace about 3:26/km and threshold about 3:15/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 Wally Hayward plan — free to buildSee your whole block before you pay.
Common questions
What time do you need for a Wally Hayward medal?
Under 6:00:00: men finishing from 11th place to under six hours.
What marathon time do I need for a Wally Hayward medal?
As a guide, about 2:21:00 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 Wally Hayward medal?
4:00 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 Wally Hayward 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.
Who is the Wally Hayward medal named after?
Wally Hayward won the Comrades five times between 1930 and 1954, and came back to finish it again in 1989 at the age of 80. The medal in his name is the first one below gold for men.