How To Avoid Blisters During Comrades
The Small Problem That Can Slowly Ruin A Very Long Day
Most runners preparing for the Comrades Marathon spend months worrying about:
- mileage
- pacing
- hill training
- nutrition
- race-day nerves
Very few spend enough time thinking about their feet.
Until they have to.
Because once blisters become serious at Comrades, the race changes very quickly.
A small hotspot at 30km can become a walking problem at 70km. And what makes blisters frustrating is that they rarely appear suddenly. Usually they build gradually through friction, moisture, swelling and fatigue over many hours on the road.
That's why experienced Comrades runners tend to become slightly obsessive about foot care.
Not because it's glamorous.
Because they've learned how much energy foot pain eventually steals from you later in the race.
Blisters Are Usually A Friction Problem First
A lot of runners assume blisters are simply caused by "bad shoes."
Usually it's more complicated than that.
Blisters tend to happen when four things start combining over time:
- friction
- moisture
- heat
- movement inside the shoe
And Comrades creates almost perfect conditions for all four:
- Durban humidity early in the race
- long hours on tar
- foot swelling
- repetitive movement
- fatigue changing your stride
That last point matters more than many runners realise.
As fatigue builds, runners often stop lifting their feet properly. Stride length shortens. Feet begin dragging slightly more. Small rubbing points suddenly become repetitive enough to damage skin.
That's why blister problems often become severe late in the race rather than early.
Your Feet Are Going To Swell
Almost every experienced Comrades runner knows this.
The problem is that many runners still buy shoes that fit like shorter-distance race shoes.
By halfway, those same shoes suddenly feel:
- tight across the forefoot
- restrictive around the toes
- hot underneath the foot
And once swelling starts increasing, friction usually increases with it.
That's why many experienced ultra runners prefer:
- slightly more toe room
- breathable uppers
- secure heel lockdown
- socks that minimise friction
The goal is not loose shoes.
Loose shoes create movement problems of their own.
The goal is controlled space once your feet inevitably change during the race.
A lot of runners only discover their shoes are slightly too narrow once they've spent four or five hours on the road.
By then, it's usually too late to solve properly.
Wet Feet Change Everything
One thing that catches many first-time runners off guard at Comrades is how wet your shoes can become during the race.
Not necessarily from rain.
From everything else.
Sweat.
Humidity.
Water tables.
Runners pouring water over themselves once the day starts warming up.
Once shoes and socks become saturated, the skin softens and becomes much more vulnerable to friction damage.
That's often when blister problems suddenly escalate.
This is one of the reasons experienced runners become surprisingly particular about socks. The wrong sock can:
- hold moisture
- bunch slightly inside the shoe
- create pressure points
- increase rubbing once swelling starts
Toe socks have become increasingly popular in ultra-distance running because they help separate the toes and reduce skin-on-skin friction once moisture and swelling begin increasing later in the race.
For runners who regularly blister between the toes during long runs, products from Injinji have become popular largely because they help manage one of the most common blister areas during ultras.
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One Small Hotspot Should Never Be Ignored
This is probably one of the biggest mistakes first-time Comrades runners make.
They notice a hotspot early…
then hope it disappears.
It almost never does.
At Comrades distances, small friction problems generally become larger friction problems.
Experienced runners usually react early:
- adjusting socks
- loosening laces slightly if swelling increases
- drying feet if possible
- reapplying lubricant
- stopping briefly before damage escalates
The longer you wait, the fewer options you usually have later.
Blister Prevention Starts During Training — Not Race Week
One of the biggest mistakes runners make is treating foot care as something to think about just before Comrades.
The long runs are where you learn:
- where your feet swell
- which socks work
- how your shoes behave after four or five hours
- whether your lacing creates pressure
- how your feet respond in wet conditions
Race day should not be the first test.
A lot of runners spend months practising:
- nutrition
- hydration
- pacing
…but never fully test:
- socks
- lubrication
- swelling
- wet shoes
- foot movement late into long runs
That's usually where problems begin.
The runners who generally have the least foot trouble at Comrades are often the runners who treated foot care as part of training rather than an afterthought.
Related Reading
- How To Pace The Comrades Up Run
- How To Manage Fatigue During Comrades Training
- Best Running Shoes For Comrades 2026
Shoe Fit Matters More Than Shoe Hype
This is another lesson many runners eventually learn.
The "best" shoe on paper means very little if it doesn't work with your foot shape over long distances.
At Comrades, comfort becomes incredibly personal.
Some runners blister because the shoe is:
- slightly too narrow
- allowing heel movement
- unstable once fatigue sets in
- creating pressure through the forefoot
- changing mechanics late in the race
And what makes this difficult is that shoes often feel completely fine during shorter runs.
It's only once fatigue changes movement patterns and swelling increases that problems start appearing.
That's why experienced runners tend to trust shoes that have already survived:
- marathon-distance long runs
- tired-leg weekends
- wet conditions
- peak mileage blocks
Comrades is not the race to gamble on new shoes.
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Fatigue Changes How Your Feet Move
One of the less obvious things that happens late in Comrades is that fatigue changes foot mechanics.
As runners tire:
- feet land less cleanly
- cadence slows
- hips stabilise less effectively
- stride becomes more shuffling
That creates:
- more dragging
- more rubbing
- more pressure inside the shoe
Often what runners think is simply "bad luck with blisters" is actually fatigue changing movement patterns over hours on the road.
Which is why blister prevention is also connected to:
- pacing properly
- managing fatigue
- staying fuelled
- avoiding early muscular breakdown
Everything eventually links together at Comrades.
Lubrication Helps — But It's Not Magic
A lot of runners rely heavily on anti-chafe products during Comrades.
They absolutely help.
But they're not a substitute for:
- correct shoe fit
- proper socks
- controlling moisture
- managing movement inside the shoe
Some runners also overapply lubrication, which can sometimes create additional movement inside the shoe once feet become wet later in the race.
Lubrication works best as part of a system rather than a rescue plan.
And importantly:
whatever you plan to use on race day should already have been tested repeatedly during training.
Small Details Matter More Than People Think
Experienced Comrades runners eventually become meticulous about things that sound insignificant to non-runners.
Things like:
- trimming toenails properly
- avoiding thick sock seams
- checking lace pressure before long runs
- changing out worn socks
- testing shoes in wet conditions
Because after enough hours on the road, tiny details stop feeling tiny.
The Emotional Side Of Foot Problems
This is something many runners underestimate.
Foot pain becomes mentally exhausting.
Once every step starts hurting, runners often:
- alter their stride
- waste energy compensating
- become emotionally negative
- lose focus on pacing and nutrition
That's why blister prevention matters so much at Comrades.
Not because blisters are catastrophic on their own…
but because they slowly make everything else harder too.
At Comrades, feet rarely fail suddenly. Usually they deteriorate gradually until every step starts demanding emotional energy you no longer want to spend.
Final Thoughts
One of the strange things about Comrades is that very small problems become incredibly important over time.
A tiny hotspot.
A sock seam.
A slightly tight toe box.
A bit too much moisture inside the shoe.
None of these things matter much at 10km.
At 75km, they matter a lot.
And usually, the runners who manage foot problems best are not doing anything dramatic. They've simply spent months paying attention to small details before race day arrives.
Because at Comrades, comfort is rarely accidental.