The early 2027 Comrades entry windows demonstrated how important entry administration can become when a major race attracts exceptional demand. But entry pressure and training pressure are two different things.
For athletes planning around Comrades, that distinction remains important.
Entry is one decision. Training is another.
The Comrades entry process has several routes, including the general ballot. The official CMA schedule states that general-ballot applications opened on 9 September 2026 and closed on 22 September, with the ballot draw on 23 September. The subsequent payment and redraw process has continued after the initial draw.
The lesson for athletes is straightforward: administrative status needs to be confirmed through the official process. An athlete should not treat an application as equivalent to a confirmed entry.
Don’t let demand change your training
A popular race can create a psychological sense of urgency.
That does not mean an athlete suddenly needs more mileage, more intensity or longer long runs.
Training load should still be determined by the athlete’s current phase, history, recovery capacity and objective. Increasing load because the race feels more important is not the same as becoming better prepared.
Keep three questions separate
For a major ultra goal, think about three separate decisions:
- Do I have an entry?
- Am I meeting the relevant qualification and administrative requirements?
- Am I physically preparing for the performance I want?
They interact, but one does not automatically answer the others.
Use the long runway properly
The 2027 race date is 13 June. That provides substantial time to build the athlete before the most specific preparation begins. The early part of the process should be about developing the qualities that support later race-specific work: consistency, aerobic capacity, strength and durability.
Specificity can then increase as the athlete’s readiness and goal justify it.
The MCC coaching perspective
The useful signal from a high-demand race is not “train harder now”.
It is “plan earlier and make better decisions”.
Keep entry administration under control, follow official CMA communication, and let the training plan respond to the athlete rather than the noise surrounding the event.
Athlete takeaway: a crowded entry process makes planning more important—not training more frantic.
Source:
Comrades Marathon Association. “First 2027 Comrades Marathon Entry Window Closed, Record for Charity Donations Already Broken.” https://comrades.com/blogs/first-2027-comrades-marathon-entry-window-closed-record-for-charity-donations-already-broken — source for the seven-hour sell-out of the first Green/Yellow Number entry window. CMA “2027 Entry Schedule”: https://comrades.com/2027-entry-schedule — entry-process reference.