What is the name of the 31st-mile marker hill in the Comrades Marathon?

Polly Shortts is the hill associated with the 31st-mile marker in the Comrades Marathon.

Comrades is a famous ultramarathon in South Africa, not a standard 42.195-kilometre marathon. Its route alternates annually between Durban and Pietermaritzburg, producing the Down Run and the Up Run. The course includes several major climbs traditionally known as the Big Five hills.

Polly Shortts is one of those climbs on the Up Run route from Durban to Pietermaritzburg. The hill is remembered for its steepness and for its location late in the exceptionally long race. The Comrades distance is roughly 87 to 90 kilometres, depending on the route direction and year.

The event began in 1921, when Vic Clapham created it to commemorate South African soldiers who died in the First World War. The name Comrades reflects that memorial purpose. Polly Shortts is often confused with Cowies Hill, Fields Hill, or Botha’s Hill, which are other notable climbs on the course.