Comrades marathon message from eThekwini Mayor Councillor Mxolisi Kaunda
Date: 2023-06-09 17:21:37
Comrades marathon message from eThekwini Mayor Councillor Mxolisi Kaunda
As the city of Durban, we are delighted to host the 48th Comrades Marathon down run which demonstrates the resilience of the human spirit following the uncertainty that was brought by the banning of sport activities at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The full return of ‘The Ultimate Human Race’ into KwaZulu-Natal’s sporting calendar reminds us that when we pull together, we will triumph against any adversity – in the true spirit of the Comrades Marathon.
For us as a city that is still recovering from the devastating floods, the fact that we continue to host such major international events is a strong indication that we are indeed bouncing back. As we roll the red carpet for runners and their families from across the world, we always strive to make our visitors’ stay a memorable one – thereby contributing towards the recovery of our tourism sector. This was also demonstrated by the number of visitors who descended on our shores during the festive season. Hosting the Comrades Marathon is yet another opportunity to position the city of Durban as a preferred venue for major international sporting events.
We are also happy that millions of people will be watching the race on various television channels from all over the world as participants in the race come from 80 countries. This positions Durban alongside other world-class cities known for hosting prestigious sporting events. We want to take this opportunity to congratulate the 20 000 athletes who are participating in this ultramarathon. To those who will be spending time in the City after the race, we encourage you to visit our tourism products and hidden gems. Apart from our warm beaches, Durban has the largest promenade in the continent, beautiful hotels, restaurants, and shopping malls. In the west of Durban, visitors can enjoy hiking at Paradise Valley. In the south, we have horseback riding in Amanzimtoti while we have helicopter rides and boat cruise in Inanda Dam in the north of Durban.
Finally, we have no doubt that working together, we will deliver a successful 2023 Comrades Marathon and as the leadership of eThekwini Municipality, we have put all measures in place to ensure that we deliver an incident free event.