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| Jo R. |
South Africa’s Comrades Marathon described as “The Ultimate
Human Race” is the world’s oldest ultra-marathon and is famous for its
relentless, punishing terrain. Named by founder Vic Clapham in 1921, the course
honors soldiers who fought in the First World War and celebrates the comradery
runners share when completing the distance. The course alternates each year between
the cities of Durban to Pietermaritzburg. On even years the “down” course is
89km beginning in Pietermaritzburg and on odd years the “up” course is 85km starting
in Durban. Last fall I signed up for the Comrades down run seeking adventure.
Feeling intimidated by the distance, I did not study the course or train much
beyond the New York Flyer’s Marathon Training Program (MTP), coached by Brain
Rossetti.
Comrades down run
elevation profile. Many smaller hills the size of Central Park’s Harlem Hill or
more are not represented. The last 10K is brutal and hard to run as the legs
are in pain from hours of down-hill running.
The morning
of the race we boarded a bus at 3:30am in Durban and drove to the start in Pietermaritzburg.
During the hour long drive I was amazed at the distance and steep rolling
elevation that covers 1,800 feet during the event. The race began in front of
City Hall in Pietermaritzburg at 5:30am and we were off. The course was slow
and congested during the first few miles. Comrades is the largest running event
in South Africa and over 20,000 runners participated. As the sun rose over Umlaas,
the first of “The Big Five” Comrades hills I caught up with the sub-10-hour bus
pace group and decided to run with them for as long as I could. The day before I
spoke with Comrades Head Coach Lindsey Parry at the race expo who predicts your
Comrades time to be two and a half times your marathon finishing time. Parry
said I was capable of running a 9:30 Comrades off my 3:44 Chicago Marathon
finishing time. However, as this was my first Comrades expectations weren’t
high. The only goal was to finish.
Descending Umlass Road
the first of “The Big Five” Comrades hills as the sun rises early in the race.
Running
with the sub-10-hour bus paced by Coach Linda, the group ran briskly
maintaining an even 10:28 pace and stopping to walk for one minute every 10K. During
the first part of the race the pace was easy and I felt strong. However, after running
50K my energy began to slow and I became scared of losing pace with the group
and not being able to make the 12-hour timing cut-off. We ran through aid stations
which was stressful as I struggled to grab water, salted oranges, or backed
potatoes to eat and maintain pace with the group. I was so afraid of losing the
group that I did not make a rest stop for 35 miles. There was an unspoken comradery
with our group as we passed satchels of water to each other. I handed Linda
cookies and asked if he needed food. One woman who wore a Comrades green number
for having run over 10 races provided never-ending encouragement. She explained
we were all Comrades helping each other through this race, Coach Linda was our
leader, and that he needed us to run behind him and we needed his guidance. We
ran together over the hills and helped each other through adversity as the
miles went on. As the race progressed I felt more comfortable running a few paces
in front of Linda, which mentally provided a bit of a cushion, being a few
steps ahead. With 19 km to go Linda said we would “go at our own pace” after
the 14k mark and the group began to slow down. At that point running was all
mental and we were very fatigued from the constant hills and strong sun. At one
point we ran for kilometers down a curved section of the highway at a 45-degree
angle.
Running with the Sub
10:00 bus pace group and Coach Linda. Linda is wearing a Comrades green number
race bib that indicates he’s successfully completed ten races and the number 50
to signal his age. My race bib is blue, the color for international runners.
During this
part of the race I dug deep and remembered the two NYRR NYC 60K ultra-marathons
I’d completed. The first 60K, which I’d run without proper fueling and struggled to
finish, you can read about on the Flyers Blog by clicking
HERE. From this experience I knew that once I started walking the race was over, as my
body would feel pain and I would move very slowly. Finishing miles 42-50 was a
struggle and I kept trying to calculate how long I would have until I was
“safe” and could complete Comrades by walking if needed. Finally, during the
last 10k we encountered Cowie’s Hill, the last of “The Big Five” set of
Comrades hills. The group continued running but I had to stop and walk losing
pace with Linda. My quads were on fire from the downhills and it hurt to run. I
was in such pain that when I finally stopped to heed nature’s call after
running 35 miles without a rest stop I could not squat down. At that point
finishing was the only option. I walked/ran the remaining steep hills- that
felt never-ending as there were 4 or 5 during the final 10k. As I ran towards
the 4km maker I asked a passer-by what time it was. He replied 3:06 and at last
I felt relief knowing I would finish. As it was too painful to run I did my
best to power-walk, running once inside Sahara Stadium and finished in
10:06:20.
At the finish in
Sahara Stadium with my Bronze Medal after finishing Comrades in 10:06:20
Comrades was
one of the toughest experiences of my life. It was terrifying. The course is
brutal. But the race is an amazing transformative experience. I’m so impressed
by the brave, kind sprit of the people of South Africa. The scope and power of
Comrades dwarfs any other running event. There really is nothing else like it.
After the race I ran into Comrades legend and 9-time winner Bruce Fordyce at The
Big Easy restaurant in the Hilton Hotel. He grinned and said “10:06 for your
first Comrades! We’ll you have to come back next year and get your double
medal.”
Comrades Bronze Medal
awarded to 9:00-10:59 hour finishers.
Some tips on training for Comrades:
Train for a marathon but then add two long runs together to
mimic the distance of Comrades. For example, run 13 miles on one day and then
26 the next. For my training I completed MTP and then added an additional
brunched run of 10 one day and 20 the next, three weeks before the race. In
January I completed the Walt Disney World Marathon Dopey Challenge: a 5K, 10K,
half marathon, and full marathon over four days- great Comrades training. To read about my adventures as posted in the Flyers Blog, please click
HERE.
Run an ultra-marathon the season before running Comrades as the
longer distance will help with endurance. Last November I ran the NYRR NYC 60k in
5:50:58, a great experience to practice fueling, test stamina, and develop
mental toughness.
Be fresh for Comrades. Comrades Head Coach Lindsey Parry has
stated you can’t run a marathon hard before Comrades and that’s true. The body
has to be completely fresh to complete the 56-mile distance. At the end of
April, I switched from running the Illinois Marathon in heavy rain and decided to
complete the half instead. Good decision. You can’t have a cold or any muscle
strains or injuries going into Comrades. If you do run a marathon before Comrades,
it should be done at an easy pace. Researching Comrades I read a blog post by
someone who said they ran a 50 miler leading up to the race and that ended up
hurting them as their body was not rested.
Consider the training differences for the “up” or “down”
runs. While this was not something I’d considered before the race, “down”
training should have addition strength training to help combat leg muscle
fatigue from down-hill running and “up” runs need extensive hill training.
Parry has a great post about training for Comrades. To view it, please click
HERE.
Be aware that finishing Comrades is 90% mental toughness. With
89K, the punishing terrain, timing cut-off, and hot South African conditions
you are going to push your body beyond its limits. When you converse with
someone after the race and ask “How was your Comrades?” they will usually
respond with when they felt physically and mentally tested. Be prepared for
this. This is why running a 60k helps. Not just with training but with mental
confidence. After running Comrades, I had a conversation with a runner who ran
with a marine who told him that Comrades was the hardest experience of his
life. American Olympian and Ironman masters champion Collen De Reuck stated
2016 Comrades “was the most challenging event I have ever done.” You can read more about her experience running Comrades by clicking
HERE. Again, be prepared for this. This is a race
that brings grown men to tears. But it is also an amazing human experience that
I can’t wait to run again.
-Jo R.
