Preparing for the Comrades Marathon: How Sports Massage Fits Into Your Training Plan

The Comrades Marathon is unlike any other race. At 89 kilometres of demanding Natal Midlands terrain, it demands months of progressive training that pushes the human body to its limits — and then demands more on race day. For Pretoria-based runners preparing for Comrades, the training block spans five to six months, involves hundreds of kilometres of running, and accumulates a level of physical stress that makes soft tissue management not a luxury, but a necessity.

At Athletic Health Sports Massage, we work with Comrades entrants every year. Here's how we recommend building sports massage into your preparation for South Africa's most iconic race.

Why the Comrades Build-Up Creates Unique Tissue Demands

Comrades training involves progressively longer long runs — often 30, 35, 38 kilometres in the final months of preparation — combined with weekly mileage that for many club runners exceeds 80–100 kilometres per week at peak. This volume accumulates significant stress in the posterior chain (calves, hamstrings, glutes), hip flexors, and plantar fascia. Small imbalances and adhesions that might cause no issue in a half marathon programme become significant at Comrades distances.

The down run and up run have quite different demands. Down run years load the quads eccentrically on the long descents; up run years stress the calves, Achilles, and posterior chain on the sustained climbs. Either way, accumulated soft tissue fatigue that goes unmanaged becomes a significant risk factor for injury in the final weeks of training, and for breakdown late in the race.

A Recommended Sports Massage Schedule for Comrades

Base phase (5–4 months out): Monthly maintenance sessions are sufficient during this phase. The primary goals are resolving pre-existing tension and establishing baseline tissue health before the heavy loading begins.

Build phase (4–2 months out): As weekly mileage climbs and long runs extend, increase frequency to every 2–3 weeks. Sessions during this phase focus on managing posterior chain loading, addressing the hip flexor tightness that accumulates with high mileage, and monitoring for early signs of common Comrades injuries like ITB syndrome, Achilles tendinopathy, and plantar fasciitis.

Peak and taper (6–2 weeks out): Continue every 2–3 weeks through peak training. In the taper, a well-timed session 10–12 days before race day helps flush accumulated training stress from the legs and restores the spring that heavy training often dulls. Avoid deep, intensive work within 5–7 days of the race.

Post-race: A gentle recovery session 3–5 days after Comrades is one of the best investments you can make. After race day, your tissue is in a state of significant repair — a skilled therapist can support that process, identify any areas of concern, and begin the process of returning your legs to training-ready condition.

Sport-Specific Focus Areas for Comrades Runners

Experienced sports massage therapists who work with ultra-marathon runners know the specific tissue patterns to look for: the shortened, overloaded hip flexors from sustained forward lean; the tight TFL and lateral chain from thousands of ground contacts; the chronically loaded gastroc-soleus complex; and the thoracic stiffness that develops from hours of running in a fixed forward posture. These patterns are predictable — and addressable, when caught early enough.

If you're in Pretoria and running Comrades, we'd love to support your preparation. Book a 60-minute or 90-minute session at AHSM and let's build your soft tissue management plan around your training calendar. Don't wait until something hurts — the best time to start is well before the injury develops.