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Tsk tsk Possum Hopper, Don Oliver (a guru of Comrades training & author of "Make Sure Of Your Comrades Medal", a book which is a very tidy summary of what you get on www.alsoranrunners.info ) says that you should COMMIT to Comrades (tell people!) and even includes a commitment card to sign with each copy of the book!
That said, shelling out six hundred odd quid for flights seems to be an entirely adequate substitute for UK runners, at least on here. I can't remember hearing about anyone on here dropping out because they changed their minds. Injury or family stuff, sure.
CU at Abingdon. My own running is v. slow at the moment - did (nearly) 13 mi on Sunday and was slower than at Comrades! It will come back I expect...
Hi Fido - I'm about to prove you wrong.... Problem question which I suspect even SD will struggle with. I believe entry for Comrades will again close November 30th (maybe before if full, but not materially). However, the lottery for an event I have already qualified for does not take place until December 8th - the lottery is very tough, and I probably have less than 10% chance of getting a place, but for that reason it has to be number 1 on the list as I'm not getting any younger and it might never come up again.... It seems that international Comrades entries are not transferable ( even though SA ones are ) although as Fido says, most internationals do this way in advance after lots of thought so last minute transfers might not help me anyway. So, if the Comrades B2B is Plan B, I just have to risk walking away from my $180 ??? Plan C would be doing both, but I don't think my budget can deal with SA and California three weeks apart - even if my legs could....
Fido...LOL...oh I will commit...no worries about that, but I would not want to 'jinx' myself in any way by saying anything too early. Having just about got through a time of injuries, I do not want to tempt fate.
I do have family in Cape Town.....what is this I see that you can possibly use an SA address and get some kind of reduced entry ??
Possum- I was checking Kayak pretty much everyday last year. I had previously done the Emirates route and that is a bit of a slog so opted for SAA this year which was a bit more expensive. However, I remember seeing an Iberia price for £595 and bottled it- My research eventually showed that it was on BA55 flight which was £400 or so cheaper than BA. Only lasted a week!
I'm at New Forest with the family so will see you there. Training going well this end with a bit more quality which seems to be working.
Saw on twitter 2 weeks to registration- Chris Mccormack was up for it with Bob Babbit from Competitor Radio. Gutted that I'm not going to be there!
Excellent - thanks Odeon.
Stacks of very useful information on here....thx everyone.
Kevin - if you're talking about WSER100 then I had the same dilemma this year. I entered both (my intention was to go to WSER100
and take the hit on the unused Comrades place if I wasn't fit or rich enough to do both...). I didn't get a place in WSER and your assessment that your chances are less than 10% is spot on, especially as a GB runner - I watched last year's draw live on a Saturday night (very sad!) and my recollection was that non-North Americans drawn in the ballot were less than a dozen... Your best chance might be to get yourself an unsual nationality (perhaps using an address in Turkey) and see if you can get in on the global representation selction process... it worked for one of my friends who used is Zimbabwean connection!
Possum Hopper - Dave and Mel Ross - who organise the Thames Meader are both Comrades runners. In fact they got married a couple of days after running Comrades a few years back - bride, groom and guests went for a run (hobble) in the Drakensburg on the morning of the wedding! It will be worth your while picking their brains for all things Comrades!
Thanks SD - yes I was aware of that and I think, but correct me if I'm wrong, that Dave has his own Comrades number now ?? Or is it known as a green number ?? I have seen him on a few local runs I have done....nice man.
You could ask Gobi Kev - I was under the impression that he had transferred his entry when the leg went pearshaped.
SD - watching the WS100 draw on a Saturday night is the new black
PH - SD will be able to tell you all about green numbers [fx: sits back]
Dave and Mel looked after me and gave me loads of advice for this year's Comrades, Dave's gets his green number in 2014. He will give you laods of help if asked.
Maybe I'll have a chat if able to at TM, altho I might come over all girle as am in awe of people who have done such things.
Fid - yes - will look out for you at Abingdon and my running is also slow at present after starting off pretty well this year and getting a PB 3 times in a row. Have ground to a halt as have just overdone it and got sore bits. Was hoping to beat my Abingdon time done in 2010 but that is unlikely but am still going to do it as hey, they are all training runs now....oh and hotel booked.
PH: re using South African relatives to enter and save a few pounds .. you would miss out on some of the perks that International Runners get when collecting numbers and the really useful International runners tent at the end.
My running is on hold at the moment .. the sore leg I have from Comrades wont go away and saw a physio finally yesterday. No running for 4 to 6 weeks as my hamstring recovers. I can indoor cycle though so its onto the bike for a month. The rest will probably do me some good as I have a few other niggles that should clear up at the same time.
Back in Angola this morning after a month away
Peter - thx for that and on looking at SA relatives further I think it would be too much hassle so will just be a 'normal' International runner.
Hope you get your niggles sorted and I know all about having a bad hammy......pain in the bum - quite literally but you're right in that the rest will probably do some good as you can get the other niggles calmed down.
I am now also sporting a lovely blister on the side of my hell due to running slightly differently...if it's not one thing it's another at the moment.
So, how does Comrades compare with NDW50 for difficulty/likely time of completion? I know it's a bit difficult to compare given road vs trail (as well as Comrades being six miles longer), but anyone done both and could give me an indication?
I ran the NDW 50 in 8.54 (plus 2 miles extra going wrong at the end) ran Comrades in 8.02. It's hard to compare the two as you say trail v road. The NDW I had to walk most of the steep hills where Comrades I run most of the way with short walking breaks. The same with Eco Trail de Paris80k time 8.20. Comrades is more brutal on the feet and legs as your pounding up and down the road. Enjoyed both events if your've done the NDW you can easy do Comrades, it's just about managing the route thats way it's a good idea to go on the route tour they put on. I'll be back year to do my back to back.
Debra / Peter - I agree on the road v trail issue. My Ecotrail time was much slower than Comrades despite being 6 miles shorter. Obviously running a rough trail in the dark with a dodgy torch is a large part of that....
Thanks SD - yes, WSER, and I think that does seem to be the only option. My name doesn't sound very Turkish so I probably won't risk that - the attention from being the first ever Turkish runner might then force a language crash course and a stick on moustache. Sounds like I would emerge as Borat. But no mankini....
Peter, thanks for that; I finished NDW50 in 9.53, having walked all the steep hills (but I was still running where the terrain allowed, right to the end, which I was pleased about). My major target for next year is Lakeland 50 (which I know will take several hours longer), but although in general I prefer trail to road I'll admit I'm getting more and more temped by the idea of entering Comrades as well...
Hi, love reading all your posts - I'm seriously thinking about doing my first comrades in 2013, but have a couple of questions (to start with):
- I'm confused about club/permit criteria for UK runners?
On some parts of the Comrades website it says:
'Club Information(for South African athletes only)'
'Do International athletes have to follow the same qualifying criteria?
Yes. However it is not a requirement that International athletes have to belong to a running club.'
'Club & license information (for South African Athletes ONLY)'
but then it also says:
'Rules of entry
Foregin competitors, particularly those who compete for any prize, should note that in order for them to take part in the race, they need written approval (Permit) from their own IAAF Affiliated Association.'
I'm most definitely not going to be competing for any prize, but should I join a running club in order to obtain one of these permits before September? (joining a running club is a whole other discussion - I really want to, but haven't been able to fit my own work/running schedule around a running clubs schedule yet...)
- Also, has anyone ever done any of the organised sports tours for Comrades? I know every year many people from outside Africa organise it themselves, but as a young (29) female most probably going to be travelling alone, I was thinking it may be a good option and worth paying a bit more for less stress.
Many Thanks!
Hi Emily,
No, you don't need to join a club. That bit about approval really is only for people who might be winning and stuff.
Yes, I did a sports tour last year (2011). It was rubbish and I did it all myself this year (see p8) and found things much easier.
For example it was so much easier not having the time of my shuttle back to the airport changed at the last minute (worse still they didn't tell 2 others on the tour! They were NOT pleased). It was so much easier making my own way back after the race with other runners rather than going to a prearranged meeting place and finding nobody there and having to sit around on the grass, soaking wet, nauseous, having run 56 miles, as night fell, waiting for my other half to track the tour peeps down.
Basically it had been subcontracted to a local firm and they did all the easy bits you can do anyway like booking accommodation or a hotel airport shuttle, except not terribly competently, see above, but there was none of the extra advice and care you would normally expect from a sports tour - I have been on several with RunningCrazy and this year went to Boston with Sports Tours International and each time was really well looked after by people who were other runners and knew what you needed.
In other words - flights are flights so as a young woman really there's nothing to worry about there. Perfectly civilized.
Accommodation you can book over the interweb and again once you get there it will be secure & the folk at the hotel / hostel desk will call taxis (which are cheap) for you and /. or advise where you can go, where to find things etc.
There is a shuttle from the airport which stops at lots of hotels & hostels and you don't need to book that from the airport, it leaves just outside the airport building. "Just outside the airport building" being if anything rather more nice than say Luton! Get the hotel to ring up for you to book the return shuttle (actually I rang up myself and sorted it and was v. pleased as by SA standards my accent is often inpenetrable).
So that gets you to your hotel or hostel. You will need to get to the Expo. Consult at the hotel desk: you'll probably be able to walk or take a bus. I sometimes got the hostel or hotel to ring a taxi for me (see above re my accent) and that would usually cost around a fiver, the fare that is.
There are some food stalls at the Expo and it is not far from the beach where there are some cafes such as Joe Cools or the News Cafe in the Sun Coast Casino. The hostel/guesthouse I stayed in had a Spar over the road and a kitchen so that was good too.
The Expo is next door to the Hilton so I just emulated Carmen and got the nice doorman to hail me a taxi when I needed to get somewhere from the Expo (also after the race). I am not in general a great fan of taxis but there were no real problems, particularly once I realised that the doorman knew how to pronounce my destination even if I didn't
Beh-ray-ah? Beh-ree-ah? Still can't remember!
You'll have made lots of buddies on the forums so you won't be alone once you get to SA (you may even meet folk on the plane out).
That covers it I think...
Fido - not your area but my daughter just got in to Sheffield so I need to start learning a new language
Great, thanks for all the advice! no doubt I'll frequently be back for more...
I was just wondering about the best time to book flights/accomodation? I was thinking:
- enter race in September
- run Liverpool marathon in October to initially qualify (hoping to improve my 4:36 to 4:20)
- then book flights/accomodation once initially qualified
- continue races throughout training, and nearer the time submit best qualifying time
Welcome Emily.
As far as flights are concerned, it's worth keeping an eye out on prices on a regular basis. You'll get a feeling for what good prices are and when a bargain appears - usually for a short period - you'll be able to snap it up.
I think with accomodation you tend not to get so many bargains - so book when you find something that suits.
Very sensible to get your qualification in early and then look to improve your seeding. Although I wouldn't get too hung up on starting in a good pen in an Up run as the roads at the start are much wider than for the Down and you tend to get less congestion as a result...
Hi all
I'm jumping into the forum with both feet...hope no one minds.
Just wondering how long people reckon their longest training run needs to be for Comrades. Do you aim for about 40 miles and just grind through the last 16 on the day, or do you aim for 50 or so? And is it any benefit splitting the long runs in two - eg 20 miles first thing in the morning and 20 early evening, or 20 one day and 20 the next?
Welcome Weedy(speedy?)G - it really depends on what suits you best. Marathons were the furthest distance I ran for the first few Comrades... I've done 40 miles a couple of times but something in the mid-30s seems to suit me best...
Weedy - opinion varies a lot of people just go to marathon distance as SD wrote. Other training plans go to 60km/37miles. I was a novice Comrades (and ultra) runner last year and I found the 37mile run to be very helpful from the mental perspective. Running 19miles further than you have ever run felt easier than 30 miles if I had only ever gone to marathon distance. Also going very long lets you practise your walk strategy and fuel strategy.
The back to back double runs are a common feature of a lot of training plans. Personally I found them very exhausting and settled for 2xMLR per week and one LSR in the range 20-26miles per week
Morning,
Am intrigued by the run/walk strategy and am now starting to look at some training plans. Have most of you just cobbled together your own plan or can anyone recommend one out there. Funnily enough, it is the walking aspect of all this that is new to me.....built into a plan that is and am not saying I have never walked in any of my marathons, but that has usually been because I was exhausted and not a planned walk !!
Thanks for those
The idea of only training to 26 miles scares me. I'm one of those people who doesn't like surprises - 30 miles is an awful lot of unknown territory. I think I'll prob aim for the 37 miles and see how I get on. I'm up to 22 at the mo with training for Amsterdam.
Slow duck - speedy I ain't. All I'm aiming for with Comrades is to beat the clock.
Weedy - I agree. I would want to get to at least 40 miles before I attempted this. I have run a few ultras of 30 miles and know even those extra 4 can be very hard.