Comrades 2019

Max Mladenovic 2 · October 2018

JAR - this race came to my attention last year for some reason I can't remember now, but I thought then what an absolutely AMAZING concept! I'll keep checking the updates, thanks for the link

justanothrrnr · October 2018

Lowrez - It's just bonkers!

I also don't like the idea of not sleeping, my biggest fear for a 100miler.

Max - I never realised what this race actually was all about until this weekend. he seems to attract the fringe of the running scene which is already pretty way out compared to most 'normal' folks.

Great to watch from afar.

Debra Bourne · October 2018

I've heard of it before. And I do believe there's a British version - I remember reading about plans/ invitations to enter sometime during the past year or so: here it is! - https://www.challenge-running.co.uk/races/last-one-standing-england/

Sadly it's on the 8th of June and we're all otherwise booked! Except Southern Snail...

1owrez · October 2018

Play the bugle

Southern Snail · October 2018

Debra Bourne said:

I've heard of it before. And I do believe there's a British version - I remember reading about plans/ invitations to enter sometime during the past year or so: here it is! - https://www.challenge-running.co.uk/races/last-one-standing-england/

Sadly it's on the 8th of June and we're all otherwise booked! Except Southern Snail...

I've just checked my diary Debra and sadly it appears I'm washing my hair that day

Running Rodent · October 2018

Oh dear Bike It - I’m afraid your Nedbank customer service experience made me laugh out loud

. Keeping everything crossed (unlike the guy behind the counter...) that your entry gets there.

Debra Bourne · October 2018

Lowrez: looks like you can comment - click on her name!

This has an amazing slow-motion fascination - I'm still at work and I've been clicking once an hour to see the progress.

Snail: excuses, excuses!!!

1owrez · October 2018

I would expect her to win she is amazing

Debra Bourne · October 2018

Still going. 66 hours, 275 miles. Down to two of them now - Courtney is still leading. They have now gone further than I did in my 10-marathons in-10-days, and they've done it in 66 hours.

I told my wonderfully supportive husband about it (the existence of the race, not that I had any intention of entering) and his response was a horrified look and immediate very firm "No. You're not doing it. Not the British version either!"

justanothrrnr · October 2018

Sadly its over .....Courtney bowed out on lap 67, 279 miles, 54:37 hours...DNF I'm gutted for her

I'm in awe of their mental fortitude.

Mac3 · October 2018

A marathon seems small change to Big's Backyard Ultra! But I secured qualification at Amsterdam on Sunday, with a quick time for Pen C, I say quick as I clocked 3:20:46! I ran fairly even splits but as close as it was to Pen B I wasn't able to make up the seconds. I introduced intentional walk breaks which I believe helped in keeping up the pace but I'm happy with the result and 3 minutes quicker than last year. The experienced hands (legs) at Comrades know that the starting pen is not the factor in determining a good race. The journey has just begun!

1owrez · October 2018

Wow! Splendid result Mac - astounded you walked some and still got that time! Also Peter R, such a good time at Langdale on that course.

Keen to see those ultra stars interviewed post the lap madness; I would not be able to cope with the open ended nature of this, I need a definite final tape to break through from the outset.

Debra Bourne · October 2018

Mac3: congratulations! A very good time, even if a few crucial seconds over for pen position. Interesting regarding the walking breaks: how long and how frequent?

JNR: yes, I saw that. Bit of a surprise. Amazing running by so many people. Two women in the top six - and a Brit in the top ten!

Terry48 · October 2018

That was a great run in Amsterdam Mac3 - really well done!

justanothrrnr · October 2018

Well done Mac3, you're in great shape for 2019!

Becca7 · October 2018

Super running Mac.

Bike It · October 2018

Well done Mac - that's a good time performance. Particularly that you kept a good pace. I can imagine it is a very pleasant and interesting marathon to run. Interesting on the walking breaks - did you feel under trained and choose to run them to increase your range, or was it to recover a bit and maintain an even pace throughout?

Beautiful run for me this lunchtime - 10km through the flowering Jacaranda trees in Joburg suburban streets (they have purple flowers). Very nice for a city run

Southern Snail · October 2018

Mac 3 - well done in Amsterdam. Great run. Also interested in the decision behind run breaks as I know your training has gone really well. Did you train like that as well and how did you choose how long and how often to walk. 3 mins up on last year is fantastic.

seren nos · October 2018

well done Mac

I am shattered after a tiring week taking my mother around Italy... Only managed 3 short runs.But did manage Firenze parkrun and met some South Africans who had run comrades and are living in the UK now ..

seagypsy · October 2018

Hi All
After a 3 year lay off from running started again in mid-June,after
finishing the downhill run in 2014 in 10.20.

Decided I needed to run the uphill and booked Amsterdam, for my qualifying race, which proved it wasn't A Bridge Too Far and finished it in 4hrs 12m :)

Met a few comrades Runners from SA on sunday

Just need to book flights etc!

Mac3 · October 2018

Thanks for all the positive feedback. The walk breaks were not in my plan originally, but I decided for 2019 to enlist the services of a coach and it was his idea to introduce this. I'd never considered this for a marathon and have found this difficult to do at Comrades until you are forced to later in the race. So, I had a 60 second break after each 5k up to 35k. He told me to run as I feel from 35k but the reality was I was only able to just about hang on to the pace or lose a few seconds per km. The unknown is whether I was net/net better off from doing this but I felt quite strong up to 35k, and found myself looking forward to the short breaks! This meant I broke the race down into manageable 5k segments. It was a bit strange to do this so soon after 5k as no one walks that soon into the race, but I was passed and then re-passed those runners around me but then left most of those behind. Perhaps the measure is in the recovery as I was not the walking dead in the past days. Although I had put in a series of extra long training runs. I plan to adopt this strategy for 2019 as part of my attempt to improve the time. I had followed a Runners World sub 3:15 schedule pretty much to the mile and to answer Bike It, I didn't feel I was under-trained which was why it was quite difficult to discipline myself to do this. The plan for Nov/Dec is some conditioning work and continued focus on speed. I'll be doing some Cross Country races in Kent and the odd Park Run on my visits back to the UK, in addition to finding some local races.

Mac3 · October 2018

seagypsy - welcome and well done! That was a good effort after only a re-start in June. I hope you enjoyed Amsterdam. The conditions were good on Sunday I thought. I found it quite congested in the early kms as the road seemed to narrow in places but that was probably good to keep the speed in check. I saw one chap in a Comrades top and wished him well. I would have liked an alternative to water and Isostar at the aid stations, e.g. an orange segment (salty preferred!) or a sip of cola but they were well manned and efficient. The finish is nice too through Vondelpark and half a lap on the springy track in the Olympic stadium. My preference though for Dutch marathons is Rotterdam in April. It is a bigger field but wider roads where you can run more freely.

Max Mladenovic 2 · October 2018

Well done seagypsy on your qualifying time. Mac3, great marathon time, well done. Very interesting hearing about your run walk strategy. I might try it in a marathon and see how it goes. I used the strategy for last years Comrades and even though I've no previous Comrades to compare it to, it worked to perfection for me. I took between 60 secs - 2 mins brisk walk break every 10K (roughly) and felt great from start to finish. I agree early on it feels odd, but it definitely worked. In the latter stages (70 & 80K) I still felt like I didn't need to walk, but like you, enjoyed the break from continuous running and think it stopped me from that slow onset exhaustion that gradually wears you down if you just run continually. Good luck in training, are you going to try for a sub 3:20 before the race or not bother (its only worth 30 secs/1 min at the start between B and C?)

Gobi · October 2018

2 up and 1 down

Scars from the down run

Bike It · October 2018

Thanks Mac3 for your comments on run-walk. I always use it in Ultras but I have never done so in a Marathon. I will be trying it at Soweto however to increase my range due to my limited fitness

I'm not really into these absurd races, but full respect to those who do them. I see a good opportunity to create a new one race - it will be called 'race the post' . Simply post a letter in South Africa, run to the destination you sent it to and see if it arrived before the runner. Probably the runner will win. Currently my Comrades entry form has made it 19.2km in 48 hours according to the SA Post Office tracking.

justanothrrnr · October 2018

I like my odds on that one Bike-It!

justanothrrnr · October 2018

BI you said 25th was another major payday in SA, maybe tomorrow we'll see the last of the entries being taken up!

seagypsy · October 2018

Mac3 The first few km was defiantly congested and narrow. I started in the blue pen, and managed to catch up with 4.10 pacers, and being so compacted I really did enjoy the pace. Only lost them at the last aid station, when I walked through and carried on for around another 100m.
By halfway the isostar tasted awful

only had a sip and two cups of water.

Did enjoy the finish in the stadium, wasn't a Maximus Decimus Meridius moment,

but I knew id done enough to qualify.

Have manchester booked for next year.and possibly Dubai In january

Mac3 · October 2018

Max - I remember you were asking this question last year. You proved the point that a push for a higher pen was not necessary to achieve a good Comrades! One of my targets though is to improve my marathon time, but that has to be balanced against the recovery time needed and loss of training as a result. I'm going to keep the door ajar on that and see how things are in March/April? What's your thinking?!

Mac3 · October 2018

One of the difficult things with Comrades is trying to predict your potential finishing time, especially for first timers. The course is like no other and only similar every 2 years! Even with the best intentions it's also very much how about you feel and perform on the day. There is a wide range of estimates on multiples of your marathon time, I found 2.25 - 2.65 from my limited research. You might be interested to note that I assessed this year's finishers from the forum. I had 14 results and the average was 2.70, ladies slightly better at 2.62. SS was exactly 2.50. Peter R the best at 2.37. Starts ranged from B-H, mostly C and D. This also represents a total of 68 medals from the 14 participants (inc. 2018), Slow Duck has 18 of these (if my maths is correct). What this does not consider is the effort to qualify and the type of course run. For example, a hilly qualifier in warm conditions should be more representative than a pancake flat course (Amsterdam!) in mild conditions.

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