Comrades 2019

Becca7

Thanks McH, I saw that elevation profile and I was struggling to remember anything even remotely resembling a hill at Abingdon and that underpass must be it.

I have Poznan lined up as my autumn marathon.  So it begins again.

Fido2Dogs

There are inclines at Abingdon, it's not Dutch-flat. And yes lowrez I do know it's sub 4:50 to qualify these days frankly the 5h cutoff for Abo will be hard enough.
We will be able to train on the course so at least the crumbling surfaces underfoot won't be any surprise No falling over!!

Should we get 4:49:59 then.... Well who knows

johnny1984

Well done to everyone for last weekend. I was not very popular when I woke up at 4.20am to stream the race and set up the tracker!

Hope everyone is recovering well. I have a black toenail just from doing a few miles, need new shoes (or maybe a Bruce Fordyce style scalpel to the toe box)

It's exactly a year until Comrades 2020- 14 June

i think accommodation will start becoming available in the next few days. If I book that (refundable, of course) maybe it will give me a kick up the backside. Belaire suites seems popular based on my previous lurking on this forum, but I would also be interested if anyone has any feedback on NOMO as that looks like it might be affordable too 

Many thanks!

Becca7

This is a good question from johnny1984 as Belaire does not look like it has space in the relevant days next year.  Yikes.

johnny1984

I think that Belaire just haven't released the accommodation for that far in advance yet, hopefully not sold out. Will take another look in a week or so

Debra Bourne

Becca, last year rooms didn't become available for booking at the Belaire for a week or two after Comrades, I think. Terry might remember better? I hope that's the case because I want to come back to Comrades and to the Belaire.

Becca7

Aha, yes perhaps I’m being hasty. @Debra Bourne is this the right cap? I think I’ve got four green and three red so this must be the right one  

Debra Bourne

Becca, yes, that looks like the one I lost!

Becca7

Great, you are welcome to it.  Send me your address as a message on here or on FB and I will get it sent out in the next couple of days.  It's a bit dusty so I will give it a wash first.

Debra Bourne

Becca, I have sent you a message! Thanks again, Debra

Terry48

Re the Belaire:  I don't recall when they became available last year but actually booked this year's room on 19 June 2018.

Beware of AGODA.  They seemed to have defaulted my booking to prefer billing me in GBP. I never noticed that and they billed me the ZAR's at the ripoff rate of £1 = ZAR 16.42! (Should have been about 18.5 on the billing date.  This never happened before and they are refusing to adjust because they say I accepted their order confirmation, which I did, without noticing they had changed my account to a bill in GBP default. I think this is a complete scam - they say that 16.42 was their rate on the day! (88.7% less Rands than my credit card would have charged at their usual commission free mastercard rate).  They are, so far, refusing to reconsider, so I've just cancelled my Berlin Marathon accommodation booked with them. I'll choose another agent for re-booking.

On a better note, congratulations to all this year's runners, not only the finishers but also the few who never quite made it despite sterling efforts.  I hope all are home safely or still enjoying some remaining holiday.

Becca7

Thanks Terry, I booked via Agoda last year, on this very date but paid at the time and didn't notice it was in GBP and I don't know what exchange rate I got.  

1owrez

I feed midrable, I'd god a code add a zore droat,

Terry48

Ditto Lowrez, me too.  Get better soon.

jkissane

Snap for me as well. Coffee & ibuprofen have gotten me through the last two days at work  

1owrez

I found a packet of chocolate raisins that I forgot to eat at Boston and my son had a party last night so I am having them with raspberry flavoured cider, its a tough world but I am bearing up

1owrez

I looked at The Hilton and could get it for £100 per night, which ain't bad, I paid £93 this year. Not booked it yet though as my points haven't come through for the last stay.

Hope everyone recovers from the man flu epidemic

Debra Bourne

Sympathies to everyone who has returned from Durban with a rotten cold.

1owrez

Anybody got access to the M&B group photo? I ain't not seen it?

Slow Duck

Ditto - sore throat-runny nose. I think I’ve lost a fair bit of body weight via my nose - and I have tissue chafe on my nose too...

Wishing you all a speedy recovery!

Bike It

A friend at work trained for a Bill Rowan. Completely missed the race due to Swine flu. So don't worry about your colds

1owrez

But man flu is far worse than swine flu - does he keep pigs?

baldstan

Hope there's room for another one in the forum? I've been thinking about entering Comrades since meeting Bruce Hargreaves and a few forum members in Berlin a couple of years ago, but I've kept putting it off. So I thought I better get things booked now so I don't let it slip another year. Looks like the Belaire is taking bookings already on booking.com and like Fido2Dogs I'm signed up for Abingdon, hopefully as my qualifier, although I plan to do a spring marathon as well just in case it doesn't work out. I'm a bit injury prone so always like to have a back up plan. Also entered for RTTS next month if anyone else is doing that, and I volunteered at SDW50 and NDW50 this year so I've probably refilled a few forum members water bottles. Hoping to volunteer at NDW100 in August too for anyone who's entered for that.

Fido2Dogs

Well baldstan  if it's your first time at Abo feel free to ask questions, I'm as local as you can get really.

baldstan

Thanks Fido2Dogs. That's much better than the reaction I got the last time I mentioned I was entered for Abingdon. It was another volunteer at parkrun and she shuddered and said she spent the worst three years of her life living in Didcot and Abingdon was the one marathon she would never ever run! My main question is that as I usually have to make a mid-race toilet stop do they have toilets out on the course, or are there any woods I could dart into if necessary?

Fido2Dogs

There are woods, hedges etc. The cycle path between Sutton Courtenay and Abingdon has a byway leading off it to the NW about halfway and the hedge on the west side just N of that junction is one I've taken advantage of when marshalling in the past! That's at about mi 14 ISH.
No loos afaik on the course. I will check tho (will ask in case it's changing this year!).

PeterDHM

If anyone fancies reliving it again the full broadcast is on youtube on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIaYfDcXfgU . I managed to catch myself crossing the line with the sub 9 bus on the video at 7:23:14. And the final minute or so is on at 10:25:01

Southern Snail

Baldstan and Johnny 1984 - welcome. Comrades is a great race. Definitely hillier than Abingdon!!!

Bike it - Glad you've got your thyroid problems diagnosed. It can take a while to get medication levels correct so well done on getting through Comrades especially after the turmoil you've had these past few years. You're half way to green so you've got to keep going.

Dannirr - well done. You must be beginning to clock a few Comrades races up now.

Becca - are you not doing New York in November? I thought Mac was too or was that last year?

Debra - hope you've fully recovered from SDW100. Im planning next years race schedule so will surely come to ask questions at some point

Hope everyone is recovering from their various coughs and colds.

Becca7

Thanks Snail, good to hear from you.  I seem to have escaped the coughs, colds and manflu, thankfully.  Yes, it's back to New York for me in November.  Hoping for a big PB after my big walk around the Five Boroughs last time.  Poznan is the "A" race though.

Welcome Baldstand and Johnny 1984.

Looks like Belaire Suites is now bookable for the main Comrades days next year, at least up until Monday 15th.

Bike It - like Snails says the thyroid meds level can take a while for them to work out but once that's done it should make a huge difference.  I've been on these tablets for years and find it no bother at all.

Dannirr - from FB looks like you had a fantastic post-Comrades trip.  I hope that your friends who came over had good races. 

Get well soon, those with post-Comrades germs.  I hope the raisins had miraculous healing properties, lowrez.

Debra Bourne

Back in the UK (after a conference in Sweden). Sounds like it's time to book the Belaire for next year - I think my husband is resigned to the fact that I want to go back. I'd like to get some coaching and see if I can go sub-10 - which means knocking 22 minutes off my Down run time (and 36 mins off my 'Up' time).

Southern Snail: Happy to answer any questions I can about Ridgeway 86 or any other event I've done. I've taken the last week very easy, with just a couple of very short easy runs (no more than about 3 miles, and slow). I intend to try a more normal run this evening and see how it goes. Only seven weeks to Lakeland 50, so I need to get back into training and start adding uphill walking into my schedule - probably on the treadmill, with a podcast or something to stop me getting bored after five minutes.

Baldstand and Johnny 1984: welcome! Always room for one more.

Everyone: hope you are all recovering from your colds.