Comrades Marathon 2015: Route, Course Map, Times, Event Details

The 2015 Comrades Marathon, otherwise known as the "World's Greatest Ultra Marathon" returns for another iteration to finish off a wild month of marathons.

Of course, the Comrades Marathon garners global attention and will do so again this year thanks to its 89-kilometer trek, a stunning 55.3 miles as opposed to the normal 26.2-mile courses of most marathons around the world.

It's one of the absolute best tests of endurance for the best athletes in the world, as well as one of the most unique.

Where: Durban/Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

When: Sunday, May 31

Start Time: 5:30 a.m. local time

The 90th iteration of the event, first ran in 1921, promises to be more competitive than ever. A cap of 23,000 expect to be in attendance to clash head-on with the lengthy, hilly course in warm conditions. 

Speaking of warm conditions, Weather.com says the high will reach just 75 degrees on Sunday with winds at just five miles an hour and a 10 percent chance of rain.

It makes for a favorable environment for participants, because the route itself sure doesn't. Forget the distance—this year is an "up run" from Durban to Pietermaritzburg, featuring massive hills for runners to conquer, as New Balance illustrates on Instagram:

The marathon's official website provides a full course map, which highlights cutoff times for most of the major checkpoints and zooms in on some of the route's trickier aspects, such as at a notable landmark like Winston Park.

This year's route will seem familiar to those who made the trek in 2013, as the same up run only changes for construction. General manager Chris Fisher spoke with the media on the subject, per the SABC:

“It's the same route as the 2013 up-run, but there's a slight deviation this year through Pinetown and that's due to the construction of the Go Durban rapid bus transport system. But the official distance in 2015 is 87.72.”

For many, the Comrades Marathon is the ultimate test of endurance with few surefire ways to practice for the event. For 36-year-old contestant Dejan Popovic, he practiced at a recent event to help his mindset for the longer event.

"The most I've ever done in training was 42," Popovic said, per Jordan Lauterbach of Newsday. "[The L.I. Marathon] was a good tuneup for it. The goal was just to try and stay relaxed, enjoy it, and not get carried away, remembering that I'll still have to go 56 miles [in a few weeks]."

It's never an easy task to take home the top time, something South African Bongumusa Mthembu did last year in 5 hours, 28 minutes and 34 seconds, while Briton Eleanor Greenwood took first on the women's side of the event.

Yet, the event's ability to attract the best runners in the world shouldn't fool anyone—it is still very much open to anyone. As Vabakshnee Chetty of SABC 3 reveals, this year features a massive field:

It's not hard to see why—the event continues to grow in popularity no matter how thick the competition because of its unique length. Topping it all off is the beautiful South African landscape that's on display as runners make their journey.

With cool weather, a challenging course and the biggest field in event history, there's little doubt this year's edition of the Comrades Marathon will be a resounding success. 

All stats and information via Comrades.com.