Comrades 2020

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  • Lowrez - thank you for the awesome support - with a personalised sign too. It was great to see you.

    McH - great to see you too.

    Pottermiss - were you the person chatting to McH before the start? Sorry I failed to introduce myself (I had no idea...)

    People who had run Chester before had been telling me what a nice race this was. They were right! A thoroughly enjoyable day out. Additional kudos to the organisers for changing the start and finish at short notice as the original plan had to be scuppered when the racecourse became waterlogged and unusable.

    This was my first proper long run since Western States and a bit of a “where are we now?” test. 2:06 first half, 2:07 second half for a 4:13 - so I’ve not let myself go too much over the summer...

    Well done to Debra and SSnail for your great weekend runs too...
  • marty74marty74 ✭✭✭
    Top work at the weekend everyone, in some not so favourable running conditions.
  • Well done everyone at Chester. And props to Debra at IoW & SS for the HM!
    I am tapering for Munich with far more gusto than I trained: I did parkrun, went for a cycle, and have got some gels in (apple crumble flavour). I suppose I should start thinking about packing! Am really looking forward to a break (there will be a somewhat uncomfortable and tiring three (ish) hours in the middle of it, by which I mean the last few hours of the marathon, but we will I hope at least get a medal out of it. Ooh I should pack a plastic bag for the race as OH has got into end of race/post race puking.
  • Peter RPeter R ✭✭✭
    Congrats everyone who qualified at the weekend, and on the win D!  McH .. surely you can be there next year!!??

    Fido: lovely :)

    Who is doing the Thames Meander again?  I am thinking of entering 
  • Mac3Mac3 ✭✭✭
    Great running everyone and top support from Lowrez.  I made the mistake of taking part in a company football event 2 weeks back and put in goal for the first match.  2 shots I saved resulted in a dislocated little finger and a fractured wrist - only realised this at hospital next morning, as I managed to play outfield for the next 2 matches.  So, in a short arm cast until 31 October, day before I'm due to fly to NY!  Running is still possible, maybe a little robotic! 
    I'm in Munich anyway from tomorrow for a course until Friday and staying on for the weekend.  Given the forecast of 22C and sunny I'm still planning to jog around the marathon.  Fido - I should be easy to spot with a blue cast! I'll be at the expo during Saturday.
  • Slow Duck - nice even running there. Well done

    Fido2Dogs - Good luck at the weekend. Enjoy your time there. Only been to Munich once to watch a Take That concert. I remember drinking a humongous glass of beer!!

    Peter R - I'm doing Thames Meander marathon. Mr SS is doing the half.

    Mac 3 - Sorry to hear about the fractured wrist. Dangerous game football :) Hope it heels well
  • Snail, well done on your PB - great running!

    Becca: I love the idea of choosing some random local street corner to stand on for virtual volunteering.

    Slow Duck: mgreat to see the legs are still working.

    I was a bit the same for post-Ridgeway 86, because I ran badly at the SVN event the weekend before IOW (40 mph winds didn't help) so I was a bit cautious setting off at IOW. Now thinking I could have gone faster!

    F2D: hope you enjoy Munich

    Mac3: what a pain - literally and figuratively. Best wishes for a speedy and thorough recovery. Run carefully in Munich.

  • Thought I’d posted here but it seems to have disappeared :( .
    Pen F qualifier ticked off at Loch Ness on Sunday - good to see a few well-known Comrades faces at the start line. Apart from the perishing cold and rain waiting for the start I thought it was a great race, and not unlike a mini-Comrades Down Run, with overall downhill and a few lumpy bits on the way. But more Highland cows. 
    I’ve outed a couple of other marathon runners in my office, between us running three marathons in one week. There has been much rolling of spiky balls and discussion of fuelling strategy.
  • Well done Running Rodent! (And I love your race description).
  • Well done RR on qualifying

     I've just entered the Kathmandu marathon on 21 Dec. Longest run since before the summer this morning, only 10.13 miles but it was still 34 degrees when I finished, but the water in my swimming pool was 28 and perfect for a cool down.

  • 1owrez1owrez ✭✭✭
    Comrades 2020 Qualification
    25Aug Qualification Opens
    21Sep
    Italy (IM) Peter R-Q3:51PenC
    22Sep
    Hull (M) marty74-Q3:32PenC
    29Sep
    Berlin (M) jkissane-Q3:22PenB
    06Oct
    Chester (M) Slow Duck-Q4:13PenF
    06Oct
    Isle of Wight (M) Debra Bourne-Q4:13PenF
    06Oct
    Loch Ness (M) Running Rodent-Q4:14PenF
    13Oct
    Munich (M) Mac3, Fido2Dogs
    20Oct
    Poznań (M) Becca7
    20Oct
    Abingdon (M) baldstan
    20Oct
    Yorkshire (M) johnny1984
    26Oct
    Snowdonia (M) Mc Hilly
    26Oct
    Beachy Head (M) marty74(100th), Debra Bourne
    27Oct
    Ghost of Cyclopark (M) Debra Bourne
    02Nov
    Thames Meander (M) Southern Snail, Peter R
    03Nov
    New York (M) Becca7, Mac3
    01Dec
    Valencia (M) Getafix
    21Dec
    Kathmandu (M) Dubai runner
    17Jan
    Muscat (M) Dubai runner
    24Jan
    Dubai (M) Dubai runner
    06Feb
    Novolazarevskaya (M) 1owrez
    07Feb
    Cape Town (M) 1owrez
    08Feb
    Perth (M) 1owrez
    09Feb
    Dubai (M) 1owrez
    10Feb
    Madrid (M) 1owrez
    11Feb
    Santiago (M) 1owrez
    12Feb
    Miami (M) 1owrez
    15Feb
    Destin 100 (U) Dannirr, 1owrez
    01Mar
    Tokyo (M) Mc Hilly
    01Mar
    Malta (M) baldstan
    15Mar
    Barcelona (M) 1owrez
    05Apr
    Paris (M) LoveLifeRun, Dannirr
    11Apr
    Two Oceans (M) thomasclowes
    02May Qualification and
    Race4Charity (PenCC) Closes
    14Jun
    Comrades

    Accommodation
    Belaire
    baldstan, Terry48, Debra Bourne, Becca7, pottermiss
    Hilton 1owrez, Mc Hilly, Dannirr
    ONOMO Slow Duck, justanothrrnr, marty74, Getafix, johnny1984
    Protea Dubai runner, LoveLifeRun
  • 1owrez1owrez ✭✭✭
    Dang Mac! Hope the extra weight doesn't cause you too many problems.
    SS! Yess! Brilliant half, you are improving all the time, I bet you will crash through 2hrs easily next time.
    RR, nice qualifier, are you dropping in to Paris too?
    Mr D! Good to see you take the plunge, or is it scale the heights, for Kathmandu!
    Good to hear you can attempt Munich F2D! Are you taking a Harrods bag? Good luck to you and OH and Mac this weekend :D
  • The World Marathon Challenge, lowrez? That's impressive training for Barcelona and I bet no one's done a Comrades qualifier in Antarctica before! What do you wear for a race in those conditions?
  • Mac, I'll keep an eye out for a blue cast!

    DubaiR - v nice, have fun. (Wow).
    RR it's not quite the new golf though thank goodness but I do a lot of running chat in the office too !

    SS I've been to Munich but getting on for 30 years ago - I danced on the table at an Irish pub on New Year's Eve! End '91 I think as we saw "Night On Earth" at the pictures and our O level German and tourist Italian was not up to working out all the things the randy taxi driver had had intimate relations with. Kuerbiss is pumpkin apparently (!!)

    Lowrez on reflection I may just make sure my feet are out of range. As a side note you've probably noticed that whenever a runner rushes or staggers over to a barrier or marshall, all the old hands quickly shuffle their feet back a bit;)
  • 1owrez1owrez ✭✭✭
    F2D a shuffle also upwind of the flightpath :D
  • 1owrez1owrez ✭✭✭
    Haven't got a kit list from the organisers yet baldstan, the weather can be quite variable, I'm hoping for good conditions, would be nice to post a sub 4:50 and use that as my Comrades qualifier :)
  • Wow thats an impressive list of marathons you've got going there Lowrez. Presume as it's a challenge they sort out all the travel arrangements too which will obviously take the stress out of it. And 100 miles with Dannirr a couple of days later. Good luck
  • Becca7Becca7 ✭✭✭
    Wow, lowrez, dropping a couple of bombshells there.  That should be a great set of events.  I hope the logistics of antarctica one work out.  I don't know if you know James Love but he did that challenge a couple of years ago so might be able to advise, if you need any info.  100 miles soon after should be a challenge, the beach should be low impact but I hope not so soft as to be hard work.

    I'm now signed up for Cyprus Marathon on 15 March.

    Well done RR.

    I hope the cast isn't giving too much bother Mac.

    Good luck for Munich, Fido.  


  • 1owrez1owrez ✭✭✭

    Yes SS the logistics are all sorted by the organisers, clock starts when the gun goes in Antarctica, not sure if we keep the Antarctic plane but it is business class travel all the way; past competitors say they long for the return to the plane so they can sleep another 8 hours - ha ha, here is a screen grab of the outward Antartic plane innards:-
    Coincidentally Dannirr mentioned his 100 miler and I didn't clock on at the time... with the above event I was conscious that I might be able to string a 10 in 10 together off the back of it, but just couldn't find further marathons mid-week after the final in Miami (assuming all goes to schedule)... but then it dawned on me... Destin commences on day 10! and is 3.8 marathons, actually it could be 4 on the ground depending which choices of route you end up taking, so, I can technically achieve, certainly a 10 in 10, possibly an 11 in 10.

    I have been in the doldrums a bit recently since the Comrades crash, this has got me teed up a bit though now :D hope I am not being foolish whilst still not at the end of my recovery journey, but, things are going well. My left side was complaining like billo this morning, in a good way, after yesterday's physio session. The people helping me with that are clearly waking it up and bringing the strength back that has fizzled away these past two or three years... when do I break the news to them about my daft commitment though! 

  • Lowrez - just wow! Looks like an amazing set of runs!
  • 1owrez1owrez ✭✭✭
    edited October 2019
    Thanks Becca and SD - yes, I have had a good natter with James :) At worst there are very generous 8hr cut-offs with all the 7in7, and they will do their best beyond that not to leave you on the tarmac, I can see some finishes in excess of 8hrs in past years, Destin has a 30hr cut off, and road based options for at least half of the route, although they will add distance onto the declared 100, I can see a quite gentle path through all of that if necessary, but obviously I would like to "do well" at all of it. It'll be a good test and if successful I can swagger up to the Comrades start line next year full of confidence.
  • Three 1st time Comrades runners have been in touch with me looking for advice on the logistics for next year, it's like Comrades wants me to head along! 
  • 1owrez1owrez ✭✭✭
    Ha ha - that's why I left your qualifying time at Berlin in the table JK, PenB is superb, still holding out for SS to join the party too :D 
  • Wow Lowrez! I’ve only just noticed your additions to the list, that is amazing (or insane?), I think I’m jealous! 
    Mac, hope the arm recovers quickly and doesn’t make you too lopsided when running!
    I’m doing the Eden marathon this weekend, doubt it will be a qualifier as if need to go faster than last week, and this is a hillier partly off road route, not planning to aim for a time, just to enjoy the scenery and have a nice day out :-) 
  • Hi All,

    Just thought I would check in with you all. The training for Valencia is going well, I have a 10 Mile race this weekend which will give me an indication on where I am with training but all signs are good at the moment.
    I have also signed up to the Sussex Coastal Trail Series Ultra in march as a bit of pre-comrades long distance race.

    I have booked flights to Durban and the hotel now, my only worry is the small amount of foreign entry's, I really hope that it’s easy to get a place on the 28th.
  • 1owrez1owrez ✭✭✭
    Good running Getafix, for some reason I have 4% in my head as the proportion of non-SA entries usually taken up, don't know where that came from though. 
  • lowrez: what a challenge! Definitely jealous. Keep up the physio - sounds like it's really working.
    Mc Hilly: Enjoy Eden.
    Getafix: CTS Sussex ultra should be good training - lots of hills.
    I suspect they will have worked out the usual % overseas runners (and we do provide useful income for them). 28th October being a Monday, at least I won't be trying to get my entry in around organising a parkrun or while running an ultra!
  • MillsyMillsy ✭✭✭
    Hi, all. Apologies for not posting for a while. New job involves looking at a screen all day so have been trying to avoid screen time during my breaks.

    i think I understand the entry process. I assume I’m a novice if I haven’t done Comrades before. So that means I need a qualifier before I can enter?
    luckily I already had an Abingdon place although I haven’t done much road racing since April.
    also luckily I have the 28th off so can be ready to go when the entry opens.

    As an international runner is there anything different we need to do?


  • Lowrez what an amazing challenge, I'll be there on the 9th as support crew if you wish
  • Do or die eh lowrez? 
    Mac I expect to be doing Munich parkrun tomorrow as well as being at the expo. Currently sat on the S Bahn so I've managed to get to the right city at least (though nowhere near as exotic as many on  the list!)
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