Race Shape › Running › Durban
Running · KwaZulu-NatalRunning training plans in Durban
Durban is essentially at sea level, so your training paces and power need no altitude correction here. What does shape running in Durban is the climate — humid subtropical: hot, humid summers with rain, and mild, drier winters — and the fact that the country's altitude races are a different problem when you travel up to them.
Build my Durban running plan — freeTell it where you train and it corrects for the altitude automatically.
| Altitude | 8 m |
|---|---|
| Province | KwaZulu-Natal |
| Pace correction the plan applies | None |
What altitude does to the paces
At 8 m no correction applies, so the "here" columns match sea level. Easy ceiling and threshold pace per kilometre:
| Current fitness | Easy — sea level | Easy — here | Threshold — sea level | Threshold — here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 km in 30:00 | 7:30 | 7:30 | 6:23 | 6:23 |
| 5 km in 25:00 | 6:19 | 6:19 | 5:22 | 5:22 |
| 5 km in 20:00 | 5:08 | 5:08 | 4:21 | 4:21 |
Paces from Jack Daniels' VDOT model; altitude correction of roughly 2% per 300 m above 500 m. A planning estimate — individuals vary.
Training through the year in Durban
Humid subtropical: hot, humid summers with rain, and mild, drier winters.
Summer humidity slows everyone, so effort and heart rate are the honest guides from November to March. Winter is when the coast trains best — which, not by coincidence, is Comrades season.
Racing at altitude
Travelling up to race is the harder direction. The same effort produces a slower pace at altitude, and a coastal runner who races Soweto or Kaapsehoop to their sea-level splits will blow up. For somebody who runs 5 km in 25:00, the plan sets race-day threshold pace like this:
| Threshold pace, training here | 5:22/km |
|---|---|
| Threshold pace at Soweto Marathon (1 680 m) | 5:48/km |
| Threshold pace at Om Die Dam 50 km (1 160 m) | 5:36/km |
| Threshold pace at Loskop 50 km (1 450 m) | 5:43/km |
| Threshold pace at Kaapsehoop Marathon (1 600 m) | 5:46/km |
Common questions
Do I need to adjust my training for altitude in Durban?
No. At 8 m the plan applies no altitude correction. It does apply one if you travel to race somewhere high, such as Soweto or the 947 Ride in Johannesburg.
When is the best time of year to train in Durban?
Summer humidity slows everyone, so effort and heart rate are the honest guides from November to March. Winter is when the coast trains best — which, not by coincidence, is Comrades season.
Which races near Durban can I build a plan for?
Comrades Marathon — each is built in, with the date, distance and altitude already filled in.
Where do my paces come from?
From a recent race or time trial, run where you train. The plan works out VDOT from it and sets every pace band.
Races within reach of Durban
Running plans elsewhere in South Africa
- Johannesburg — 1 753 m
- Pretoria — 1 339 m
- Cape Town — 25 m
- Gqeberha — 60 m
- Bloemfontein — 1 395 m
- Nelspruit — 660 m
- Pietermaritzburg — 596 m
- Polokwane — 1 310 m
- Potchefstroom — 1 350 m
- Kimberley — 1 197 m
- George — 200 m