Comrades 2020

MARK A ALDERSON

President addressing the nation (SA) at 17hrs, 20 mins, if that does not top Comrades not sure what will. Guaranteed it’ll happen as substitutions open tomorrow when they’ll be no demand anyway. If I can I think I’ll get rid of my place and cancel accommodation before the buggers steal it! Hopefully they’ll defer but I hardly doubt it looking at the rules. £220 x 50,000 - someone will be extending their swimming pool soon! 

Dubairunner

Mark, I’m following from my swimming pool, need to move the bbq area for an extension...

1owrez

Ooo hark at him with his swimming pool an' all

Liverpool half went ahead today - 2:14 - qualification pace - but I would struggle to keep that up for another 13! Keep the faith people!

Dubairunner

Sorry lowrez.. 

1owrez

Don't be Dubai, it was a well meant joke - I don't see how anyone could survive without a swimming pool in the heat of your days - hope the conversion is going well. Will you get money back from 2O or is it too early to tell? Was it cancelled outright or shifted?

marty74

Understated as always lowrez

1owrez

A press reporter got me - full of misquotes and mosquitoes (carrying Covid-19) but I am more famous than ever now, web page is full of rubbish (including the bit on me) so you have to page down a bit but worth a laugh to link to it
Plus they got my age wrong I'm only 28 (he lied)

1owrez

OMG! I just read down to the comments! I better go into hiding

marty74

Love it

You'll need to change your costume first. Go back to your playboy mansion and hide there

1owrez

Dubai, can I come around and hide in your pool

Debra Bourne

balstan: re SDW50: blimey. I wasn't expecting that. Just days ago Centurion was talking about how they would go ahead with safety measures in place.

lowrez: well done running in that!

Croydon HM went ahead as well. I provided tea/coffee for the volunteers from 8am then marshalled then helped tidy up and pack away. After which I went for my scheduled 2 hour run. Forgot to take my 500 ml softflask with me, and got very thirsty. Slowest I've run in a long time. Quads trashed, glutes tired. Hopefully will be recovered by Tuesday for my club's speed session.

1owrez

Ooo - that reminds me of Stranger in a Strange Land

Debra Bourne

What does, lowrez?

1owrez

Ha ha - our comments crossed in the post Debra - hiding in a swimming pool

Well done supporting and running and trashing

Southern Snail

Lowrez - well done on the half today. Great pace. Quicker than you were intending.

Debra - congratulations on yesterday and getting back out there today.

Dubai - can we all come and self isolate round your pool and bbq

1owrez

Good idea SS, plus we need to pick McH up from Spain on the way, she is in lock-down, but I am pretty sure we can get her out this way 

Debra Bourne

Snail, thanks. Here's hoping not every running event is cancelled.

Lowrez I had forgotten th)at. (long time since I read it).

1owrez

This is getting slightly scary; a friend re-posted that newspaper article on Facebook and the torrent of fear and anger at the race taking place is astronomical... I think I really do need to go to Dubai!

Debra Bourne

... and NDW50 postponed to 4th July.

marty74

SA just announced a travel ban from Europe and limiting gatherings to 100 people or less.....just a matter of time.

We will get through this, stay strong and healthy everyone.

Mc Hilly

Lowrez, at least with your Batman outfit on for the race, people won’t recognize you in the street, so hopefully no need to hide! My plan to go ahead with trip to Barcelona despite the marathon being cancelled might not have been one of my better ideas! Flight home tomorrow has been cancelled, but we have managed to find another, so all good at the moment, we have decided our back up plan is to hire a “Boris bike” and pedal home :-) 

Debra Bourne

CTS Sussex results are up and I was first FV50. I was also the only FV50 - but I was ahead of the first FV45 and 6th out of only 19 women in the ultra distance race and 36th out of 101 finishers.

Debra Bourne

McHilly: Good luck for getting home okay!

Bike It

Well, state of the nation says foreigners from high risk countries are banned, including UK. State of emergency until 18 June and all gathering of more than 100 people banned.

So even if Comrades goes ahead, I probably wouldn't be able to qualify if no marathons for the next month. 

Rather bad news.... 

Southern Snail

McHilly - thats really bad luck. You escape China only to get caught in Spain!! Hope your other flight goes ahead.

Debra - really well done. Definitely all coming together for you.

baldstan

So if it's a state of emergency until 18th June that presumably means we can't even go and have a holiday... All my hotel bookings are non-refundable, but will see if I can at least change my BA flights, though not sure where it will be possible to fly by then.

Debra Bourne

I can cancel hotel, but pretty sure my BA flights are non-refundable. C'est la vie.

Snail: thanks.

1owrez

My hotel is currently non-refundable, but The Hilton has declared free cancellation or moves for reservations up to end April... I'm hoping they will extend that.

I'm booked with BA for flights and can cancel the booking on-line requesting a refund, but I can't locate any T&C that'll tell me how they calculate the refund (if any)... not sure I should click the button, as, if they cancel the flight instead it looks like I might get a full refund or the right to shift them for free, all very confusing.

And then of course there is the Comrades entry fee!

I also have travel insurance...

MARK A ALDERSON

They might postpone a week or two, of too risky me thinks due to uncertainty of how this may pan out 

1owrez

As of yesterday BA say; we are enabling customers to change their destination, date of travel, or both for free, on any existing bookings that depart up to Sunday 31 May 2020... we just need them to extend that!