I was first introduced to the “Comrades Marathon” the “Ultimate Human Race” by a friend at work, with whom I had run a few local half marathons. He is South African, a keen runner and had informed me that “.. every able bodied South African must complete this event at least once in their life!” This seemed a bit over the top, but we both agreed to do it.

The first Comrades Marathon took place on 24th May 1921, Empire Day, starting outside the City Hall in Pietermaritzburg with 34 runners. It has continued since then every year with the exception of the war years 1941-1945, with the direction alternating each year between Pietermaritzburg and Durban, the so called up & down runs. I was going for an “up” run, that’s Durban to Pietermaritzburg – supposedly more tiring, but less painful than the “down run”.

I had no idea how to train for a 54 mile Ultra Marathon with a 12 hour time limit. I searched for help on the web and found:  http://www.alsoranrunners.info/

The site is packed with real down to earth advice. I chose to follow the training plan for South African’s from the “Western Province”. I was not confident enough to deviate from this and as a result, ended up missing out on the Chuggers Monday runs for quite some months.

The day of the race was Sunday 29thMay 2011. Two days before, we went on a bus tour of the route. This did not really help me at all. The main hills are named and are legend.

The race is fairly brutal, it’s a gunshot start at 05:30 and finish 12 hours later at 17:30 with cut offs at Winston Park - 4:40:00 (10h10)
Drummond (halfway) - 6:10:00 (11h40)
N3 Subway - Cato Ridge - 9:00:00 (14h30)
Umlaas Road Interchange - 10:00:00 (15h30)
Top of Polly Shortts - 11:20:00 (16h50)

On the day, at 05:00, I remember standing in my pen “F” as it filled up, thinking – “what on earth am I doing here? I won’t even get half way” – I had got it into my head that reaching Drummond before the cut off was going to be impossible.

My main goal was to finish and get a medal, full stop. I was advised by Nikki Campbell who runs the “alsoranrunners” website, to go for a sub-11, which would give me a bit of a buffer if things went wrong. Other advice which turned out to be spot on was to “start Comrades slow and then get slower”

The start was really enjoyable and I became a bit more relaxed. I remembered all the advice about taking it slowly at first and kept my discipline, allowing people to stream past me in the dark and not worry about it.

I had to adopt a walk run strategy and that is what I had practiced in the two training ultras that I ran in the UK – there is no way I could run the whole course, not with those famous hills. Walking though, is at a serious pace and I find myself overtaking many runners on the really steep sections.

I eventually came across one of the running “buses”. It seemed to be about the right pace for me. When I got nearer,  I saw it was the sub-11 bus! I stay with it, sometimes in it, sometimes just behind or even ahead. I occasionally fall off when I stop to get a stone out of my shoe or get some sustenance out of my bag. I keep them in sight, don’t panic and gradually catch them up again.

As we go through the many communities and settlements along the way, the support is amazing. People have reserved their spaces along the side of the road and are having parties and “braaie” – Afrikaans for Barbecue. There are refreshment stations seemingly everywhere - every two or three kilometres – you have to be careful not to take on too much really.

I can’t believe it when we hit Drummond, the half-way point, at 10:33! Confidence starts to creep in, but I know that I must still keep disciplined and watch my speed and gait to avoid the dreaded hamstring cramps, which is a bit of a weakness for me. Just after Drummond is the dreaded Inchanga hill. I had planned on walking up it, but the bus driver decides to employ a “run for a minute, walk for two” type strategy. We just seem to eat it up with little problem. The bus just goes on like a wave, receiving lots of cheers and support as it goes.

At Polly Shortts, the last major named obstacle, the bus driver pulls in for a pit stop. I carry on, walking at pace to the top. It takes its toll on both my hamstrings-luckily there is a massage station at the top! I get both legs done and this really saves me. I set off again just ahead of the bus and begin to pull away from it.

It was recommended that you sew your country’s flag onto your running gear, just to let people know you’re an international runner and just as I’m approaching the stadium in Pietermaritzburg, someone shouts “where are you from sir?” –“England, UK” I shout back. There is a big cheer goes up, which really boosts my spirits, just what I needed. I then seem to fly down the palm lined avenue, into the stadium and belt round the track to the finish! 10:36:46 – Bronze medal. (The video of the finish shows a slightly more sedate ending than the one in my mind) 

I’m absolutely thrilled, it’s better than I had ever hoped for. I hook up with another British runner in the international tent and we discuss the day. Eventually to a huge cheer, in comes the sub-11 bus.

It’s an amazing event and I would recommend it to anyone if you ever get the chance.

I found the site http://www.alsoranrunners.info/ invaluable and can personally vouch for the information and advice contained within it. It is run by Nikki Campbell, who has successfully run the race 14 times. She invited us to her running club’s pre-race club breakfast in Durban the day before. It was great to finally meet up with her and swap stories and experiences. 

I am going to attempt the 2010 “down” run. If successful, I will have the pair and a “complete Comrades”.

Incidentally, my South African friend that introduced me to the whole Comrades phenomenon in the first place - hurt his knee and never even entered the race.

Paying respects at Arthurs Seat

Afterwards at the Cricket Oval in Pietermaritzburg

Day before the race – a bit nervous - on the course at the “Valley of a Thousand Hills”