Comrades 2015 - Find your mantra

Has taken awhile to collect my head around May 31st Comrades 2015 race day in South Africa. So it's more about getting there, and feelings after, even now.

I ran it last year but even as a fairly experienced marathon and ultra runner but it was TOUGH. Calf cramped the day before so wasn't 100%, lethal camper on the roads wrecked my knee and major stomach problems almost finished me off. Felt like the course mentally & physically ripped me apart, crushed and then spat me out. Managed to finish but hardest thing I had ever done.

So going back to most people would seem complete madness. But if there was a mountain in front of a group of people, one person would want to climb it. That's how much the race teased you - think you can beat me? Go ahead. Comrades alternates it's route between a "down" and an "up" run. I'd done the down version, Pietermaritzburg to Durban, so if I came back I'd get to try arguably the opposite harder hiller route, and also a second medal for doing both courses back to back years - if I finished.

Many in the UK are now doing your plain ordinary 26.2 mile road marathons, sometimes many per year. South Africans would look blankly at you, confused... You do a marathon (or two?) only to qualify for Comrades. Probably the running equivalent of staying in junior rather go to senior school. They just do not understand. Comrades is 54+ miles on road and really hilly on the up route, 6500ft approx. I wanted a Bill Rowan medal for sub 9 hr finish if possible but 9-9:30 very happy.

Quick flick through the year, to get back to South Africa. After last year, main thoughts, more road than trail miles, more hills, and after doing ultra 4 weeks before get to Durban more rested. Did that and more. Steady 30-40+miles a week, from January, 5-6 marathons, one ultra and always ran day after any race to run on tired legs. April 26th London marathon 5 weeks before was last race. Other changes, 16 hours flight via Paris rather than 22 plus hrs Dubai one of previous year meant I got to South Africa Wednesday lunchtime rather than Thursday night - so a day earlier and an extra nights sleep. Still that nagging feeling, I'd got something wrong or missed something out in training. Can't change anything now, trapped, and mentally hard. Got things a little wrong at VLM chasing a time and that was magnifying how I felt.. You don't do enough training, you get what you deserve. Try to ignore. Lots of insecurities coming up. Tapering/ resting messes with your mind.

Thursday quick nip through the huge Expo, no wasting energy walking around for hours. Various Brits met in the international area including David Ross.,his fabulous tshirts had already made it really easy to find fellow runners on planes there, and would make it easy to spot and cheer us during the race. Every cheer or jeer helps. Finally meet up with my roommate Dave, late change but we got on really well, both looked out for each other. Night time - ambassadors meetup, if not already excited enough...now you really started to soak up the atmosphere. With 7-8 previous male and female champions from 1950s to 1990s there, some real legends. All were signing autographs, telling stories about what the race meant to them now and then. You could almost feel the history, and the love for this event from everyone. Pallable. Exciting, though still nervous.

Nick Bester, Bruce Fordyce, Helen Lucre, Cheryl Wynn,  Jackie Mexler, Bernard Gomersall, Allan Robb

 Friday - coach tour of route, that really helped mentally, knowing the hills were quite runnable in themselves just not in combination over 54 miles.. gauge where to put effort in, where to be careful. Visit to the Ethembini orphaned childrens school was wonderful, uplifting. Finally a visit to Comrades House museum, soaking up even more history. 

Saturday morning with British contingent breakfast meet up after jog walking Park run. Was good to see a few faces from 2014 and others I'd been chatting to online plus lots of new ones. Everyone getting excited... I was still feeling nervous though. Rested legs from then. Posted something on Facebook about needing positive words from people just in case... After previous years stomach (or other end!) problems, had my last solid food by 4.30pm, quick meetup with the lovely Marius Brown.. He would be running the race with a full Rhino head on.. Like I had problems. Quick read on Facebook hopefully for some inspiration, a few stuck in my head. Not much left to do but watch FA Cup final then sleep 9-3 ish.

Sunday Race Day. Alarm 3.15 am. Swig sports drink, read first chapter of Charlie Spedding autobiog about 1984 Olympic marathon, perfect for lifting your spirits, about getting your best race out. Mentally relaxed, feeling good. Walk to start line with 1000s of others, quick goodbye to Dave room mate, into pen. Nearly 5am. 30 minutes to go. Stuck in a sea of people it really hits you, 18-20,000. The final countdown is legendary... , South African national anthem, then "Shosholoza" miners song, then Chariots of fire music..then cockerel crow 3 times and a gun fires... That start gun remember, is the start of the race and decides your time, not the chip time of you going across the line. 

Finally off. A little slow with narrow streets the first km but nicely away. Something clicked in head, all was good, moving nicely. First few ups really didn't register, just kept running. Bumped into a few Brits, Anthony, and then Patricia. We would chop and change for the first 10-15k. No mad surges in speed, keep pacers nearby. Lots of cheers for the GB tops.. The whole way with race numbers on front and back, everyone could tell how many runs you had done, your nationality, helped the spirit of the race. Knuckled down, concentrating, plan was to take a few 60 seconds walking stretches every 25-30 minutes. First big named hill Cowies hadn't registered, but Fields Hill was a long stretch so took it carefully. Pacers went 1-2 minutes ahead but just stayed in sight. Not too hot but still felt humid .. Taking on less water than previous year, carrying a little bottle, and poured another water sachet over head to keep cool. I was feeling great, not stressed, honestly enjoying it and just running, amazing people and landscape all around me. My sister Angela, had posted some good luck words from a Kate Bush song that fitted perfectly...

"Running up that road, Running up that hill.. with no problems..."

That became my mantra, playing over and over in my head, lyrics added, words changed or repeated, I forget - something about not feeling any pain, and the rest made up. All negative things were cleared from my head. It was Weird. Hard hills kept coming, I knew the first 50 km of 88 was pretty much all up but prepared for it, those hill reps were paying off. 

Putting water over head and my buff headgear was working, don't think the provided Comrades cap works as well. No stomach or other problems this time either, a few cups of coke, isotonic gels every 10-12 miles and salt tablets. I'd been dreading the camber on my knees but that didn't seem to exist on the up. Phew. All good. Through half way in 4:32, just off target, and after the equivalent of one road marathon calves were feeling a little tight, not quite cramping but close, a few warning twinges. If I'd been rigid on sub 9hrs or nothing, I'd be down and lose my head, but I was so mentally positive, I felt wonderful (ok, apart from the legs) but I was having so much fun with the course, crowd and atmosphere. I could batter myself to get a low 9:00-9:10 time or just relax and enjoy for the same medal. So thats what I did. Drummond gave you a little rest with some downhill but that just meant Inchanga (aka Valley of Thousand hills was coming). Nice.

Inchanga early on had Arthur's seat, where a previous winner allegedly used to stop and smoke his pipe. Everyone paid their respects, doffed cap, good luck for rest of the race. We ran past the Ethembeni orphaned childrens school, literally hundreds out crying their eyes out with joy, everyone lifted and laughed with them. Okay, did curse a few of these hills, they just kept rolling up. Joked with other runners, why didn't they just dynamite these flatter.  Roughly, 55-60k in, with water stations every 2-3k and then regularly big organised spectator areas, DJs, bands, dancing girls, 20ft puppets, even this year marvel superheroes...plus thousands of people, having BBQs, drinking beers, and supporting -  shouting your name, nationality. You couldn't fail to soak that up... Wave at crowd, or get them to cheer you, literally for whole race - Amazing. Brit. Pommie. Do it for the Queen and various others shouted at me. Sub 9 was gone, but I was having too much fun.

Harrison Flats did earn its reputation as flat and soulless. Open plain, sun beating down on you and not much to it. I was indestructible though so carried on.. Only downside, had been looking forward to the green cream soda which saved me last year but not much till after half way and then only if you asked the stations Around here, realised I'd probably got my salt levels wrong, visibly legs perked up when taking an extra tablet, 40-60k dipped a little but 70k all good. Patricia appeared, chatted a bit and stayed close till the end. Chatted to runner Jonathan from Israel, stayed together for a 4-5k as we got near little Pollys, a small hill but with 75k done, legs could feel it.. most people think its the last big hill coming but not. Finally onto the infamous Polly Shortts, a big steep hill 1.7km long, Walked big chunks, Jonathan taking a few phone calls (!) so pushed on, that was mostly definitely not part of my race. Jeez it was a tough hill though, really quad busting but still smiling - 9km left.

Finally single km figures to go, still a few unnamed hills and Patricia nearby going past as I walked the odd 30-60 seconds and then behind as I ran. Finally in sight of the stadium, kept pushing. After 30k of people saying it, that really was the final hill done. Long straight lined with palm trees - found some fresh energy, sprinted the whole way.. then ran out of energy with calf cramp. Someone shouted come on England. Digged deep, found something. Went past Patricia and kicked for home.. to the finish line.

Wow. That feeling of achievement - like no other race, 9 hours of absolute pleasure, a comfortable 9:31 finish time. Two medals for back to back years. So happy.

Patricia went grey, nearly collapsed after finishing, Luckily grabbed her and got some tea and sugar I'd run walked, she'd run the whole last 5k. Ouch. lots of people though struggling along the way and afterwards. Dave finished safely after a tough year. We all waited to see the legendary 12 hr finish - after that no medals, you get nothing. Its what makes the race great.

After and on Monday we swapped stories, some people being pulled after 20km, a big block of sub 12hr pacers stopped at half way, even one Brit failing 12 hr and 13 seconds. Even the odd runner nipping into McDonalds for a burger and milkshake to refuel whilst running.. You know who you are. Lots of friends made, breakfast the next day with fellow Brits, even sat with 1965 Brit winner Bernard Gommersall.

Mind blowing day. The history, the different medals/ cutoffs, the atmosphere all work perfectly together to make the best mass participation running event in the world. Amazing.

If you've done a marathon under 4:30-4:45 you should think about doing this one time in your life. It will change you - may even get you out of junior running school for South Africans too :)

Once in a lifetime race - twice. Very lucky. Now to that next mountain.