Comrades 2020

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Comments

  • marty74marty74 ✭✭✭
    lowrez - that looks an amazing challenge. Something to look forward to. You don;t do things by half though sticking a 100 miler onto the end mind you....

    Good luck at Munich mac3 and fido.

    Getafix - apparently last years foreign entry was around 1800, so with 2500 there should be plenty. As debra says, they want us to take part to come and spend lots of money...
  • Mac, F2D and F2D-OH, hope you all have a great time in Munich 
  • lowrez, please add in Nottingham Christmas Marathon on 30 November for me next time you update the list. If all goes well between now and then that will be marathon/ultra #100 AND the 10th certified-distance road marathon I need for 100MC. I'm planning to have my vest presented at the Usual Suspects (Samphire Hoe, 14 December - I'll have done about 70% of the events with SVN so it would seem strage to hold it anywhere else.
  • Good luck to all at Munich this weekend

    MacH - good luck at Eden
  • Good luck all at Munich, quick question - do I need to join a running club for Comrades entry? Thanks in advance 
  • Mac3Mac3 ✭✭✭
    Fido - maybe not exotic but a great atmosphere, and considered a big village. Very lucky the weather is  so fabulous this weekend. Hopefully not too warm during the race. My pre-race dinner will be outside at a local beer garden. As the England rugby was called off I didn’t make the journey into town to watch it and I will collect the number in the morning. I’m 40 miles South of Munich.  Hope the park run was good. I’ll wave my arm at the start! Enjoy. It’s a nice course and should be good support. 
  • 1owrez1owrez ✭✭✭
    Good luck Munchkins!

    Certainly need to get this under my belt before something worse than left side limbo happens F2D! Definitely keeping the phys going Debra, its got me this far.

    No club needed Mr.D, lot of hot air last year about that but it all blew away.

  • Yep, that's amazing. And good that he gave appropriate thanks to all the pacemakers.  It is going to be interesting to see how long it takes to get a sub-2 in a race, now we know it is possible.
  • Good luck Mac3 and Fido2Dogs in Munich today, hope there's no need to dodge any post race puke, and all the best McHilly for Eden.
    Millsy, maybe bump into you at Abingdon next Sunday. More experienced heads will know more, but I think they dropped the requirement for novices to prequalify when they announced when entries will open, but with a qualifying time from Abingdon that won't matter anyway.
  • 1owrez1owrez ✭✭✭
    edited October 2019
    Millsy - there isn't any distinction between a first timer and an old hand in terms of qualifying; that's what our event list is focused on. Every competitor needs to run a qualifying time within that window. It is currently the minimum of a marathon in sub 4:50, but longer races are accepted with other cut-off times. How fast you qualify places you further up the starting grid, but, you can leap into PenC from any earlier grid place by collecting 6000 Rand, around £300 for one of the chosen charities, this could save you a few minutes going over the start line, remember the event is "gun to gun" and every second counts.

    They love first timers, and foreign athletes, at registration there is a separate line, way shorter than the one for the locals for internationals, and, recently they opened a first timer lounge area at the expo where you can hang out and get complimentary refreshments etc.

    Mr D - that's definitely a date for Dubai; published times may drift, possibly by days depending on Antarctic weather, last year in Perth they delayed the start as the local footy team got into the play-offs and a game was being played with massive crowds milling across the intended route - thanks for supporting me, hope our paths do cross :)

    Hope Munich is going well :)
  • MillsyMillsy ✭✭✭
    Thanks for the advice Lowerz. I think I’ll be more relaxed once I’ve got Abingdon out of the way.

    Baldstan, Good luck at Abo, I’ll be in a Blue Salisbury vest with “Millsy” on the front.
  • Some exciting races coming up for people! I think the schedule of Lowrez wins mind you 😀.  Not so exciting for me and a bit down the line, but I’m in the Rotterdam marathon 5th April.  May try and get another qualifier in earlier!  Hope everyone’s races went well this weekend
  • I had great fun running this weekend, but not the right conditions for me to get a qualifying time :-) 
  • A bit damp, but great fun!Type your comment
  • 1owrez1owrez ✭✭✭
    Looks like the Manchester to Sowerby Bridge canal run McH :D
  • Are you sure it wasn't actually a triathlon, or a Tough Mudder you entered?
  • It was only on Wednesday that I read the notes and realised it wasn’t a road marathon:-) just as well I love mud
  • McH yes the time I failed to properly read race details was the all off road marathon, self navigated with early start offered, where I scored my PW of I think 6h pretty much dead.
    V impressed with the in stream?bog?swamp? Selfie!!

    Happy to say this is still my PW though today was close - it got quite warm and the OH suffered quite a bit though he toughed it out & made it  through. I did keep an eye out for Mac but it's a v big race & didn't spot him. I had a caffeine gel and am still wide awake.
    Munich had an awesome stadium finish which did remind me of Comrades, more so when we were sat on the lush grass in the middle and there was a lot of hurling which the grass just soaked up. Even SD's airline barf bag would not have helped!!
  • 1owrez1owrez ✭✭✭
    Well done F2D & OH too, and for feeding the grass :D What a day to remember, running (a not PW) whilst Kosgei smashed the world record on the other side of the pond :)
  • Wow, Mc Hilly - that looks wetter than the inaugural Greater Manchester Marathon (2012). Glad you managed to enjoy it!
  • Mac3Mac3 ✭✭✭
    Hope you enjoyed the Munich route F2D.  You are right it was hard to spot anyone, big entry this year.  I took one of the early start waves.  The route was improved as the boring bit around the houses is now in the 1st 10k and not the last.  It was warm out there (25C I think) with some shade through the Englischer Garten.  With the weather being so nice the support was good on the course this year.  The cast on my right arm didn't affect me too much, just the high fiving and 'touch here for power' signs etc had to be done with a reverse action! I managed 4:32 which is a PW for a road marathon but I wasn't bothered by that.  I was hoping for around 4 hours, but 2nd half I just didn't have the fitness to keep the pace.  When I realised 4:20 was a push I eased off and took it nice and easy.  I've a qualifier in the bag though.  The finish in the stadium is great and on the grass after with the local Weissbier (although non alcoholic I believe!) and Brez'n (pretzel).  We headed back to Tegernsee afterwards (60k South of Munich) where OH parents are from, and enjoyed a great early dinner at a beer garden sitting in the sun overlooking the lake.  Next up NY :smile:
  • I’m not going to be able to go to Comrades next year, but do have a non-refundable hotel room going spare at the Hilton for the Fri/Sat/Sun nights..... if anyone is interested in having this, message me and I’ll contact the hotel and see if it is possible to transfer it to another name. 
  • Bike ItBike It ✭✭✭
    Soweto Marathon for me on 3rd Nov.  'Training' is going somewhat below aspirational levels, but nevertheless moving in the right direction.  Long runs getting more difficult as the heat is rising as Summer approaches - Sunday's was at 33C by the time I finished.  I've got a nighttime 10km race tomorrow as a mark of progress - sub50 would be nice and a good target since an over-60 10km race the month before.

    Good to see positive progress being made by many.
  • Bike it, I'm looking forward to 33 during the day, still hitting 40 some days here..
  • Just checking in to see how you're all doing. Great to see so many qualified already and so many wierd and wonderful races planned! Got a Whattsapp message from my SA friends that I stayed with pre race. Unbeknownst to me they have bought me a plaque on the wall. My friends dad appears to have driven from J'burg just to take a photo for me! I was nearly moved to tears when I saw it.
  • PS Douglas (pictured) is a Comrades veteran himself. A PB of 7:01 and once ran up Polly Shortts twice, once to the finish, then ran back from the finish, down the hill and ran back up with his brother to the finish again! (in the old days when you could have seconders on the road)
  • MM2 - that’s nice! And a great story - Douglas must be hard as nails!
  • Max, that's lovely - and I love the story!
  • Becca7Becca7 ✭✭✭
    A very nice story Max and impressive of Douglas, both for this gesture and his Comrades record.
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