Howdy, Stranger!
Categories
The materials in this website are in no way intended to replace the professional medical care, advice, diagnosis or treatment of a doctor, qualified personal trainer, therapist, dietitian or nutritionist Runners's World, Part of the Hearst UK well-being network © Copyright 2017
Comments
Lowrez - can you drink small amounts, ideally with electrolytes in? Sound like a combination of heat and dehydration is the problem. Got any peanuts?
I've been watching the live feed all day and it really brought it back to me just what a sheer, long, hard slog it is. Even at the pointy end people were in trouble - Caroline Wortmann cramped up at a water station, staggered to the side and took out the two motorbikes that were following her. She finished in second place, her legs gave way, and they were trying to interview her as she was crawling away from the finish line into the shade
.
You're all heroes. Enjoy the post run glow (as the post run pain wears off). And if you're going to Mugg and Bean, have one of those giant muffins, they have magical recovery powers
Really pleased with my first Comrades, first run over 42.2k, and and first Ultra!
6:42:31, 3rd Brit, 111st overall and just behind 3rd woman.
I started steady, slowly built the pace ("respect the distance / respect the hills"), a few GI issues early on (if you know what I mean) but feeling good overall and energy levels high. Was on for
Congrats to all - sounds like some tremendous performances out there today. Was thinking of you all.
Enjoy Mugg and Bean tomorrow - dont forget to wear your medal and your Comrades top with pride!!
Well done on your results - was on for a sub11 but the wheels fell
Off big time in the last 7km , trying to control the cramp in my legs . Ended up with 11:12 - that will do . lowrez bus was awful - very stressful and ended up walking a bit to the start line . Hope you are feeling better . Currently doing a really good impression of robo cop now and shortly off to the airport !
11:46 for me. I got the time I deserved for the training I didn't do...
Happy to be going home with a medal and my 100% start/finish record intact, albeit just!
Not sleeping much as my legs are very unhappy...
I see from the times of posts on here a few people have also have had problems sleeping, I thought I'd crash out but didn't)
My bus journey to start was better than others mentioned here, we only had to wait a few mins in the queue and it left as soon as it was full (at 2:47am), seemed to pass quickly mainly as I slept/dozed for most of it.
It's hard to say my run went to plan as I didn't have a plan (and I never got around to creating a training plan, just entered various runs I fancied and did odd bits in between). So my "plan" for the day was, run to feel, take walking breaks when I needed to, and occasionally if I didn't "need to", hope that would bring me in for a bronze, but not to worry if slower, but if necessary jump on a 12 hour bus. From about half way... Got so far to go, so much time for bronze ( or 12h) so only have to do X mins/mile, the numbers all seemed reasonable (but just used these as reassurance, was never trying to run at any set pace and only looked at watch every 5miles), but also well aware things could go wrong. It was only when I got to "parkrun to go" with about an hour and 15 for bronze that I felt confident, so was absolutely delighted to finish in 10:30. So whilst I wouldn't recommend my training/race day "strategy" it worked out well on the day!
I watched the replay of Caroline Wostmans interview - she took complete responsibility herself for the motorcycle incident. True champion.
Finished in 11.45 . Thrilled to finish. It was so tough.
Anyone from the hilton going to mug and been this morning? I need to check out today so best pack now if I am going to go.
Lowrez do you want to share a can to the airport? Think we are on the same flight.
First time a comrades went exactly to plan for me, did 8.43 and finally got the Bill Rowan at the fifth attempt on the down run. I am really suffering today but it was all worth it. Was wearing my patch on my back and saw Skybluearab and I think John who was also wearing a UK vest.
Up run next year is 4 June in case anyone is interested.
Lowrez I need to pack. Lobby at 9?
Well done everybody!
Well done everyone. Warren and Caashford - absolutely cracking times. I was cruising for a safe silver through until about 70km...even looking to accelerate and then I increasingly struggled to take on board the calories/water I needed when the temperature rose - and was slowed to a walk for the last 10k, knowing I could at least wander in with a Bill Rowan...which is how it turned out.
Even though I was 90 mins away from a time that I should have been well capable of, I still thought it was a great day - camaraderie from first to last and a number of special moments.
Thanks everyone on the forum, been great to hear and share experiences throughout the whole process and for so many to cross the line - I still think it's a remarkable achievement, whatever the time.
For those that haven't heard, JAR's pain is because he ran the entire race without a timing chip! Realised at the start that he'd forgotten to put it on after deciding quite late on which shoes to wear. So he has a bronze medal but no time. He decided at Botha's Hill to call it a day but was persuaded by his family to carry on.
Well done everyone some great times and some very close calls
Well what can I say about Comrades apart from that's it, not doing it again.
It's not an enjoyable race it's brutal the down run (someone is having a laugh) is not down its constantly up and down
I ran with 2 dubai runners all similar marathon times aiming for sub 9hrs we controlled our pace to half way we were actually 2 mins ahead of time , but 1 of our team Duncan had bailed and got the death bus home.
The next 8k from half way up that big bloody mountain was really tough and I marched most the way Jason cracked on (he finished in 8:50 fantastic) when I got to 60 k I was sick twice and needed the loo after which I sat at the medical station feeling sorry for my self the chap gave me something to settle my stomach and a local SA chap gave me a beer (which I washed down the medicine) I was going to bail had enough, then I thought you can't get a DNF, get of your Arse and bloody finish
I ran/trotted the next 24 k ok till 6k from home (at 9h:26m) then I threw up again ( hope your not eating while reading this ) and medical were called and said I should give up I told them ( won't type exactly what I said ) that there is only 6k to go and 2 hrs 30 mins I will crawl to get my medal if I need to. After 10 min when my lips went from blue to pink again I got up and trotted the last 6 home and finished in 10:20.
Really happy that I finished my mental strength was better than my leg strength but going to stick to marathons now getting to old for this 89k race and now I don't get the spirt of comrades anymore it's not a fun day out ( plus the bars are dodgy in Durban) great to meet a few of you in hotels and on the course, the badges worked.
Peter R well done on your Bill Rowen did you get a medal ? my mate who I ran with for 45k finished in 8:50 and they ran out of Bill R medals ?? he was furious, the chap in the finish text then hand wrote all the runners names for the next 10 mins on a piece of cardboard and said we will post your medals.
Well done SBA- that took real guts to finish (literally). Nice to see McHilly at the finish- I'll send the photo on once I'm back in the uk. The race certainly lived up to its "humbling " strap line and I won't be back even for a back to back medal. 89 k on roads is just brutal- give me 50 miles in the Lake District any day! But I'm delighted with my time (8:29) and enjoyed all the encouragement from the roadside supporters and other runners, as well all the useful advice on this forum. Sorry I didn't get to meet many of you but I did see the Brits on the FB forum instead. Hope everyone gets/got home safely- I'm not looking forward to sitting for so long this afternoon/ tomorrow
SBA, yes I did get a medal. I would have been pretty peeved if I hadn't so I can understand how your mate feels.
Back in Luanda already ... sigh
Just got home. Loved reading everyone's stories.
My highlights/low times were
- our bus to the start. The 2nd worst bus in Durban (think Lowrez was on the worst), driver swaying around, didn't know where he was going AND didn't have any money to pay the toll. One of the runners had to pay it! Lex and I stopped feeling nervous about the race and felt nervous about surviving it to the start. Cashford slept through most of this. Maybe that extra sleep was the difference between his sub 7hr and my 11.45
- I joined a random bus at the top of fields hill. Loved it. I asked what time bus it was buy no one knew, it was just a 'bus'. Brilliant. Loads of singing and cheering. The crowds love a bus too. Really made my comrades experience.
- Felt really good with 15k to go so left the bus. 3k later, wished I hadn't left the bus but I had plenty of time for the finish so took it easy to make sure I got there. Finishing was just mostly a relief. Never has 9k felt so far as it did on the last bit of that race.
- The 1k to go banner which wasn't actually a 1k to go banner was falling down when i got there. 2 guys trying to haul it back up so stop it blocking the road.
- Lowrez going through the extended half way cut off with seconds to spare and still making it (EVERYONE told me that anyone going through this cut off in around 6h10 would not make it. Well we know someone who proved them all wrong!). An awesome story of never stopping moving and never give up.
- Overall what an awesome experience. It's been years since I went abroad for a race and I loved the build up, the friendliness of everyone out there and all that jazz. Glad I got to share this with my old buddy Lex too. I would recommend the experience to anyone. Gutted for anyone that didn't make it, esp those people that only just missed it (Terry). Those few seconds between making it and not are nothing when you are talking about 12 hours but they are everything too.
Shadow fax, the up run is much easier than the down. Honestly a huge difference.
Pg3. When you got off the bus with us at 4:45, you went to a garage i think for toilet.. we just walked through to the start area, toilets a plenty, baggage vans and pens waiting. No problems. Did you wait in the garage long?
Back home and back at work. Fantastic to meet so many of you; sorry I also missed some of you. As soon as I can I will post all the photos I took to my Flickr account and post a link here. Had hoped to do it yesterday but got home and crashed out for four hours instead (my cat was happy - she got to lie on top of me for the whole of that time).
For those who don't know: I went to the start (wearing my number but without my Champion Chip, and not in running shoes) and experienced that, but stepped off to the side and let everyone go past me, before I drove back to Durban in Terry's hire car. Gutted for Terry's finish just a minute outside the 12 hours (he got cramp) and for JAR's chipless run. Well done Patricia - great running.
My next X-ray is a week today, and I am hopeful it will show good progress in healing - I've been pretty good about resting. I did walk North Beach parkrun on Saturday, finishing in position 1,666 out of the record-breaking 1,874, so most of you had probably left before I finished. Really, really want to be back in South Africa and actually RUNNING Comrades next year.
Back at work today - and so it's all over for 2016
. Happy with an unofficial 9:18 on the board + a nice medal.
I enjoyed a great time overall, always love Comrades, was especially nice to meet so many new faces and matching them with names. Reading through the stories has been fun but still awaiting some outstanding ones (Mr K)
Race-wise it seems my knack of complicating Comrades reached a new high this year when I left my championchip at home. Seemed my race was over before it began - disappointed in myself for wasting all the time training, the expense and dragging my family across here just to make such a fundamental cock-up. I had little fight left in me by the time the gun went and it didn't change much through the day. Hoping to rectify the chip thing if possible with CMA following some feedback but gutted I wasted a great chance of a Bill Rowan.
I know I'm not running next year so I'll be watching the 2017 thread with great envy.
JAR - I am so gutted for you about your chip. I can see how it could happen though, especially as you had your family around and so much going on. I hope they rectify it. Have you tried contacting either the UK Ambassador (David Ross?) or the American guy (Mark Bloomfield?) who is an Ambassador for all of the International athletes. Mark was the person helping to organise the start for some Italian guy who apparently thought he had registered his marathon time but Comrades hadn't received it so had disabled his entry. I am pretty sure he got to start.
FRC - not sure what we did differently as we didnt get to the start line until later on and the pens were full by then. I am usually someone who gets to the start super early though so it felt way too close for me.
Good luck Debra. I really hope you'll be back and complete a comrades soon. I hope Terry joins you too. I can't believe how close he was. Stopping to stretch cost him a finish
Thanks PG3 - spoke to Dave Ross and have emailed CMA. When photos and videos of the timing mats come out then I'll find mine and submit it as proof which hopefully they'll corroborate.
If I do the grunt work then possibly someone will show some mercy/compassion but I'm not getting my hopes up just yet.
Getting bus at 2:45 obviously better if you like to relax though.
JAR hope they sort it for you. Fingers crossed.
Debra you will get there next year. Didn't realise you went to the start, great feeling but I'm sure very sad for you.. I'd have found that very difficult. Photos would be great. My cats also happy..
Thankfully Air France perfect on the way back. No delays. Champagne, red wine and cognac. I'm blaming Mr K and others like Stephanies influence as I indulged after very little alcohol from January. Someone did say 2-3 week rest so...