Comrades 2022

Peter R

Mark, will take a look.

I dodged a bullet last week!! I was in South Africa to do the Ironman there, and stayed over for a couple of days.  Arrived back on Friday morning, on the last flight in so didn't have my flight cancelled and don't have to quarantine in a hotel.   Govt were onto me though and sent me a PCR (negative) and have asked me to self isolate for 10 days (which I will do).

Not much talk I SA about comrades, I think everyone is just hanging on and going day by day and/or race by race.

MARK A ALDERSON

Wow, lucky there Peter! How did the Ironman go? Hope enjoyed (if you can enjoy an Ironman), something I have always wanted to do, well a triathlon, maybe next year. Watched Dr Tedros earlier in his opening speech and the fact of the matter remains that vaccine inequity is a major issue, richer countries seem to be all out for treating their own yet miss the point that pandemic is worldwide not in your back garden, and just as BoJo has always said the virus knows no borders! The way they encouraged the public on Friday to get their vaccine seems to have backfired somewhat over the weekend, 1000's arrived at walk through vaccine centres with no prior appointment meaning many had to wait in freezing temperatures, consequently they are now suggesting those with appointments in a few weeks may have issues so that in turn only makes more go to the walk through centres haha, yet millions have not even had their first vaccine in countries, can't see 2022 being any better than 2021 if I am honest. Think most believe once vaccinated pandemic over and life is back to normal, but that is the major influence of spreading this shite........

Comraded 2023?

Debra Bourne

PeterR: Wow. VERY lucky! I think the PCR and self-isolate is totally reasonable in the circumstances.

Mark A: Pity we don't have leaders with proper global vision.

MARK A ALDERSON

Indeed, we have too much globalisation not much else sadly!

1owrez

I know someone who went out to UTCT, not been heard of since 😧

SA took vast amounts of the Cambridge vaccine and let them go to waste because they dithered over the EU scaremongering.

It is said that women come from Omicron Persei 7 whilst men come from Omicron Persei 9

Southern Snail

Whats LD4 and UTCT?

MARK A ALDERSON

Lock Down 4 
Ultra Trail Cape Town, after UTMB perhaps biggest trail ultra out of the US 

1owrez

Have heard from him, he's staying for a fortnight to see if it all blows over. DNFd the event. Then discovered all flights back were cancelled. Contemplated flying to Amsterdam, but it was clear he'd hit the same problem trying to get into the UK from there. Would rather spend a fortnight in the sun than ice!

MARK A ALDERSON

Guess you may be referring to John? Not enough hill training even though he runs Arthur's Seat most days, incredible runner so just shows how hard UTCT is

1owrez

That's the man, fog on Table Mountain was scary (well would have been for me). I assume the seat you refer to is Scottish, not South African 🤣

Debra Bourne

So: no luck with Western States Ballot. :-(

BUT: I did get a place to run the West Highland Way Race a week earlier. Yay! So that gives me six months to train for 14,000 feet of ascent over 95 miles, including boulder fields and the Devil's Staircase.

First I need to sort out a hamstring/piriformis issue. Presently tender after some attention from a physio earlier today.

MARK A ALDERSON

What did you do to qualify for WSER Debra? Qualifying is harder than UTMB 
impressive just to get in the ballot. 👍 👍 
I’d like to try perhaps next year or so 

Debra Bourne

Mark, qualifying for WSER isn't that difficult - it's Hardrock that's really restrictive. WSER is any of the named races on their website - the list is here: https://www.wser.org/qualifying-races/ (Hardrock is also any of their named races - but a much shorter, harder-to-do-or-even-get-into list).

So I qualified four times this year (all four of the Centurion races are on the list - I honestly don't think TP100 should be). I'll probably enter NDW100 and A100 next year in addition to WHW, giving me three chances (I don't want to have all my eggs in one basket).

WHW I need to finish in under 30 hours, which I certainly hope I should be able to do. The other non-Centurion options in the UK are Lakeland 100 (finisher - but I can't do that now until 2024, due to work conference clashes), Hardwolds 80 in sub-24, Arc of Attrition (finisher - I'm aiming for that in 2023), Race to the Stones 100K in sub-17. And in Ireland there's the Kerry Way Ultra.

WHW my biggest challenges will be (a) getting up to recce it - I really ought to do at least the section along the east side of Loch Lomond, which is a boulder field; (b) training for the amount of ascent and descent.

1owrez

Me charity loves me 😀

https://blog.blf.org.uk/blog/running-and-raising-money-is-the-new-rock-and-roll

Debra Bourne

Great piece, lowrez!

baldstan

Yes, great article 1owrez, and great outfit, looking forward to seeing how you follow that at Manchester. I've now signed up for Manchester too in the hope I'll be able to get fit enough to join the 4:30 bus, so that's my New Year's resolution sorted. 
Merry Christmas everyone. I know of lot of people have had a tough year, so I hope things are looking up and 2022 brings us all health, happiness, and possibly even a Comrades medal.  

1owrez

Thanks Debra and Stan 😀Given my last couple of halves (Brew Dog Elvis Juice and Inch's Cider) I too am hoping for 4:30ish, but I'm not a Bus man. I might not even be in disguise, so serious will be the sub 4:50 attempt 🤔 However, I don't want to talk I'll if any country, but, given the lack of focus on Covid control in Africa generally, I worry it will be the breeding ground for variants for many years to come. Comrades may well be staged, but will I want to travel there even if our government allows it 🤔

1owrez

Merry Christmas everyone 🥳

Bike It

Christmas Greetings Everyone. 

Good to see some proper running going on

Bike It

Greetings Everyone,  All the best for 2022 in and beyond running

Some progress here - my hip hurts me less and less.  I've been able to run more and more. I've even entered 2 races - a half marathon on the 22 Jan and a full marathon on the 6th March.  Both are 'events' and not 'races' to gat me running more. Physio continues and getting into the challenging category now.

I've been staying at the farm for the last month.   I've been enjoying the farm roads and have finally been able to  to get around my own hill on the farm.  It's a 4km loop.  The bottom 1km is absolutely flat, up the steady hill for 1.2km, undulating 1km at the top, down 800m of which 400m is very harsh over loose rocks.

I've had the challenge with my son to climb the harsh slope by bike.  It has many loose rocks that force your front wheel off course and the bike wheel completely loses traction.  We have had probably 20 attempts each, and several crash and blood spill.  Finally I have made one successful attempt last Sunday.  It is very good for the strength.

I see some good targets from people with some very big challenges on the table

1owrez

Happy New Year  
That's great news Bike It, impressive progress, and good to see the distances you have in the diary lined up, and, great to see you getting in some cross training too. I hope things continue to improve!
I've become ill disciplined yet again, too fat, not consistently doing physio, running far too infrequently, nevertheless I managed to knock out a half in 2:20ish on 2nd Jan dressed like the idiot above   and I have a full marathon on 3rd April in Manchester which is meant to be a Comrades qualification attempt. I need to resolve my discipline issues to be anywhere near on that!

Debra Bourne

Bike It: Great to hear that your hip is improving! Here's hoping it's all onwards and upwards from here for you.

I've been struggling with an injury since early November (moral of the story: strength training is really, really important for injury prevention). With a bonus of injuring the foot/ankle on the other leg by slipping and falling while volunteering at parkrun on Christmas day. So I'm presently on a much reduced running schedule (very frustrating) and trying to build up the strength training. I have several races planned but this conversation has reminded me to try to schedule in a marathon at a sensible point for qualifying!

Slow Duck

Happy New Year everyone.

BikeIt - good to hear you are on the recovery road

I'm waiting for the 1 Feb Comrades announcement before committing to hotels or flights...

Peter R

Happy New year from me too; and Bike it sounds more promising.  Debra slow and steady, I wondered why you starve volumes were down.

Movement on Comrades front, I just received an email asking me to confirm if I will take my deferal entry in 2022 (assume you all go the same) and yesterday they announced that more info on entry process/qualifiers will come out towards end February.

Fingers crossed.

Debra Bourne

Hi Peter, yes I just got that email re. Comrades entry as well. I've started doing a bit more running, but I'm doing my best to be sensible and build up gradually, while very aware that I now have only 5 months before West Highland Way with 95 miles and a LOT of elevation...

Bike It

1owrez

We need to press a button by 28th Jan 😧 Mine'll have to be unsure this early. Nice to see we can defer to 2023 too 😅

Slow Duck

I pressed the entering button. The message seemed to suggest that there might be an entry cap? 🤔

Debra Bourne

Hard to decide what to do. I'd like to run Comrades this year, but I'm not sure that the COVID-19 situation is going to make that practical. Decisions, decisions.

Peter R

If its on, I will be there ... go to use that green number at some stage