Comrades 2004

I have obviously lost any brain cells I was born with. I have decided to take part in the Comrades, have never run anything longer than a marathon and was wondering if anyone had ANY advice?

Comments

  • First of all get out of that 'this is mad' mindset. Its not and is a worthwile undertaking. Training for ultras is pretty much the same as for marathons except your long run will be longer so to speak. Some people also do a second longish run as well so if you do your long run at the weekend you may do a midweek medium long run of say 15 miles. You can just do one long run building up to about 35/40 miles or7/8 hours
    and you should be fine. Try to do the long runs on similar terrain to the race if you can and give yourself lots of recovery.
  • Thank you for that I actually don't think it is mad, but those around me seem to think it.

    Have you done the Comrades?
  • No, London to brighton. I would like to do comrades though. And the Spartathlon. My longest run for brighton was a 5 hour race of 30 miles my other long runs were two at 2.5hrs one at 4hrs and two at 3hrs. All on hilly terrain. In between I did a little running but mostly some cycling and swimming this helped me recover better. it really is the long runs that get you through these events. That and the mental ability to keep going, most people can get fit enough to do these events but not everyone has it up top to last the distance.
  • Hi Tizzie. Comrades is a race I'd love to do. I did my first ultra in South Africa-2 Oceans- but haven't been back since.
    You need to do lots of up and downhill training but otherwise its just like training for a marathon.
    It'd be worth reading Tim Noakes Lore of Running, that's heavily biased to the Comrades.
    Have a good run.
  • Tizzie - Excellent! This is a race I want to do one day. 2004 is the up run, Botha's Hill is quite famous. A sub 7:30hrs gets you a silver medal!
  • Finishing is my aim, but a silver would be awesome. I understand that the up run is actually suppose to better for you physically. Let's hope so!
  • Downhill is more damaging to your muscles because of the increase of eccentric contractions(working as they lengthen) I would rather run uphill all day than downhill. Good luck if you do it and let us know how you get on.
  • Hi Tizzie. I did Comrades in 97, a down year, and can confirm the downhill second half was quite painful! The event was fantastic though. A completely chaotic start in Pietermaritzburg, still in total darkness at 6am, and then finishing in the stadium in Durban packed with people, including Mandela, was an experience I'll always remember.

    Support from the crowd and other runners was superb, definitely worth doing. You'll love it.
  • Tizzie a brilliant decision. Comrades is fantastic. Andrew has given excellent advice, similar to marathon training with longer runs especially in April and May. Things have changed since Ricky ran it in 97. You have to qualify for a seeding. A=3hrs, B=3:20, C=3:40 etc. Their web page gives more detail. Although seeding is less of a problem with the Durban start - streets are wider. Start is at 5:30am, still warm in Durbs, and you have 12hrs to finish. Silver= sub 7:30, Bill Rowan = sub 9hrs, Bronze=sub 11hrs, Vic Clapham=sub 12hrs.
    Here are some links to foreigners who have done the race:

    http://www.geocities.com/gremlinlost/comrades.htm
    http://home.pacific.net.au/~running/html/news/comrad98.htm
    http://freespace.virgin.net/bob.jackson/comrade1.htm

    You will not regret it. Enjoy.
  • Tizzie,
    A truly fantastic race ; I did the 'down 'run this year and would certainly advise building up your quad muscles !! as mine seized up at around 35 miles leading to a very painful last 20 miles although I managed to complete the course in 10 hours..

    If you want to go with an organised group , Steve Crams 'COCO' organisation handle everything for you inc. flights , entry to the race , hotels etc. and are a very friendly group .

    Contact karens@coco.org.uk for further info.
    or check out http://www.cates.fsnet.co.uk/comradestable.htm for photos of happy! comrades finishers.

    There is an outside chance that I may be doing it again in 2004
  • Hi to all of you. I am also running Comrades in 2004 as my first ultra. What is the organisation for food and drink along the way? Is there a "rule of thumb" for your intended race pace in comparison with your normal marathon time? I am travelling with Nirvana. Is anyone else going with them? Does anyone have any long races planned in April and May as training runs?
    No more questions for now!!
  • I believe Flora are sponsoring it this year. They seem to be cornering the market in these races.
  • Flora are one of five major sponsors. They have the naming rights to the expo and the last mile?. I'm sure they will become more involved over the years. In response to David..check out their web page at www.comrades.com...race information. Quick summary there are tables every 1.8 to 2.4 km's. The first however is at 6km's. (congestion). Each table will have water, energade (www.energade.co.za) and a cola. These are available in sachets (150ml) or plastic bottles. Most tables have food as well..potatoes, sweets, chocolates, energy bars, banana's, oranges etc especially further up the route. The tables really try to out do each other. A rule of thumb for race prediction is 2.42 x recent marathon time. You can also try ...www.sportsdigest.co.za/comrades2001.shtml. Which is pretty good. Good luck.
Sign In or Register to comment.