Comrades 2020

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Comments

  • Mc HillyMc Hilly ✭✭✭
    Lowrez, I’m definitely still planning to go (I’m making it a long weekend with a couple of non running friends) meeting up for breakfast (or drinks) sounds a good plan!
  • Mc HillyMc Hilly ✭✭✭
    I too would be surprised if they agreed to waive qualification, and take your point of being lots of others, but when you’re looking for things at short notice because your event has been cancelled, and limiting it to road events (because not fast enough at moment to qualify on the more interesting courses ) there aren’t that many. Add in having to fit around other commitments and getting fed up of paying for events and not getting refunds ( which I think is fair, but there is a limit to how many times I want to do it!), and not knowing when I will have to move back to China, it is getting a bit frustrating! Boston (Uk) is my last one, after that I’ll either switch to Lowrez’s plan B , or just look forward to supporting you all in S.A.  A relaxing weekend parkrunning and spectating is quite appealing:-) 
  • MDS now been postponed so my trip to the sand in 4 weeks now not happening neither. <div>Virtual comrades coming up? </div>
  • 1owrez1owrez ✭✭✭
    Dang, that is terrible news Mark, but postponed, not cancelled? How far out are they pushing it?
  • Mc HillyMc Hilly ✭✭✭
    Wow, sorry to hear that. surprised by MDS as numbers relatively small and not exactly in populated areas, that must be incredibly disappointing. Do they delay? Or give you auto entry for next year?
  • Delayed until September. Only earlier in the week Patrick Bauer said would go ahead but government had last say on it. I’ve witnessed personally how well
    managed Doc Trotters work but hours away from Marrakesh and Casablanca it’d not be the best place to be, relying on helicopters too. 
  • 1owrez1owrez ✭✭✭
    McH we can choose between 25th October or next March for the Barce re-run :)
  • 1owrez1owrez ✭✭✭
    We are not faint hearted up North, Liverpool Comic Con went ahead this weekend as planned

  • Feeling everyones frustrations at all the races being cancelled. Wonder what will happen with London. 

    I appreciate people need to up their hygiene and be sensible but I do have to question whether the media is hyping it all up. When there are fights in supermarkets over lack of toilet rolls and ibuprofen (purely because the newspapers have told us we can't get any) then surely everyone is going a little mad. There's people putting plastic boxes on their heads and plastic bags. Surely theres more risk of suffocation than Corona virus. We've gone from Brexit madness to Corona madness. I refuse to shop at any different time than I normally do and I refuse to bulk buy (which of course won't help me if everyone else is!!)
  • 1owrez1owrez ✭✭✭
    If London falls that's my last qualification attempt up the spout but there will probably be other low key opportunities to locate. Acquaintance of mine is proposing that if Comrades falls we go out and run the route anyway in June as planned, although we will have to reroute a bit as we won't have all the major roads closed and I'll have to take me ultra vest to carry salty potatoes etc.

    SS I'll email you some panic purchased shammy leathers and canned prunes, that's all that was left in the local Sainos instead of loo roll and caviar which go in my usual weekly shop.

    I guess if Comrades gets shifted they will adjust the qualification window accordingly anyway.
  • SS, I couldn't agree more about everyone going OTT. My children should be at school today (I know it's Sunday but our week is Sunday to Thursday), school cancelled for a month so they're doing GCSE revision guides at home - made to by me!! We have 45 cases in the whole country and everything is being cancelled. Yet when I passed Starbucks earlier it was full of kids, what's the difference being at school.

    lowrez, surely if you've run Comrades before you should be given freedom from qualification this year as you've proved yourself in the past. 
  • Bike ItBike It ✭✭✭
    I've just run 15km on the treadmill. Longest run of the year. That was hottest run of the year too.

    I live in Africa.  We can buy toilet roll 

    Well done Debra on 2*50km. Quite amazing
  • 1owrez1owrez ✭✭✭
    10 miles for me today in sub 11 minute per mile pace, starting the build for that sub 4:50 in London, or Yorkshire if London falls. Dubai, last year I dnf'd, but in any case they don't accept previous year's completions as qualification, I believe in the dim and distant past they did but the number of dnfs started to soar as people weren't putting the training in; the qualification window forces you to get into some kind of shape.
    Well done on the heat run Bike It, good distance too.
    Congratulations from me too on the double dip 50k Debra, I missed that one!
  • Hi lowrez, yes I understand that but surely this year should be an exception 
  • 1owrez1owrez ✭✭✭
    Dubai, did you see that Brighton are inviting runners from cancelled marathons a free transfer into theirs? I think that is April 19th, the week before London. I get the feeling that some sensible types will smash this cancellation trend and that London will be one of them too (he said with his fingers crossed behind his back).
  • Debra BourneDebra Bourne ✭✭✭
    edited March 2020
    Bike it: progress! Here's to further progress. And at least you'll be used to the heat.
    lowrez: progress again.
    Bike it, lowrez: thanks. It might not have been the most sensible thing to do physical-training wise, but psychologically it was good to remind myself I can do a double.*
    CTS Sussex: anyone else going? I don't have any for 5 weeks after that, which my coach is relieved about, but it's going to seem strange to me - last time I had that long between events was when I was ill with that horrible cough and subsequent strained chest muscles, last Jan/Feb -and other than that it will be the longest break between races since summer 2017.
    Dubairunner: I doubt they will change the entry requirements. We're lucky in the UK that there ARE a number of smaller events around if you look for them.
  • Debra, in the UAE we have 2 marathons a year!! 
  • Lowrez I think I read London were scared as cancelling as runners will turn up anyway. 

    Just listened to Talk Ultra podcast, there's an interview with Janine Canham about 777, it's nearly  2 hours in. 
  • Dubai 
    you don’t need to do a marathon for comrades you need to do marathon distance or above, they are at least 3 ultras I know of this month alone in UAE, comrades will have access to that info too. Why don’t you just do one of those rather than hope for comrades, which surely would be unfair anyway as qualification period had already been 7 months. Re London there is an official event takes place every year anyway during the night in reverse so that will not be the reason to not cancel - it’s the gov trying to held economy
  • 1owrez1owrez ✭✭✭
    You are assuming a certain level of affluence and fitness there Mark, besides Dubai will re-qualify easily at 2O :). But if you take a punter like me who dnf'd last year and is still recovering, telling me I should have qualified already doesn't wash! Still plenty of time and marathons and ultras left to get it done though, as long as they all don't just evaporate before my eyes!
  • 1owrez1owrez ✭✭✭
    Dubai, Janine never spoke one word to me on the whole trip, even though I encouraged her to keep going every time our paths crossed mid-runs... although she could say similar about me (minus the encouragement :D). I was unaware of her dnf in Antarctica and her issues with potential frostbite! At times I wondered if she was on the same trip as me given some of the things she said :D
  • You need to run 48k (30miles) in 5:49, and extra 6k in 1 hour, ultras are on the whole cheaper than marathons too?? Anyway what will be will be, I’m currently paid up in hospital 5th day on my back so my legs have never had it so good resting, longest in 7 years actually, not sure they’ll work again. Also, C19 patient in isolation pod on site too. Haha
  • 1owrez1owrez ✭✭✭
    Problem is these events are disappearing like water through a sieve, McH is done with shelling out cash and booking flights and hotels and taking time off work to achieve zilch. I'm going to struggle to get marathon fit prior to window closure never mind 30 or above, happy Barcelona got shifted, I am in no shape to qualify this weekend, plus I get to run it anyway in October or March, but I still need to re-purchase flights and hotel and book time off work, as you say, what will be will be :)
    Dubai there's a lot of chatter about turning up and running the courses even if the events aren't taking place, including Comrades if that falls! I would be up for a chauffeur driven air-conditioned cruise around any route calling in at bars and eateries, but running them without support?
    Mark, what has happened to you? You are in hospital?
  • Mark: few 30-mile events available, mostly 50K, so in practice 8km/5 miles extra to do within the extra hour for basic qualification. If you're trying for a faster starting pen then the equation changes definitely in favour of marathon, in my opinion. For pen D, those extra 5 miles (8 K) have to be done in 50 minutes. I've qualified for pen D at marathon, running 10 minutes slower than my marathon PB, but my 50K PB wouldn't get me pen D. Which possibly reflects a mental barrier (running more sliowly because it's an ultra), or alternatively is because I've never done a flattish road 50K.
  • Blue lights inbound Thursday 
    abdominal pain, initially thought was food, poison then an sorta blocked to bowel then an obstruction then appendix, now they don’t know at least pain is no longer 10/10 just a steady 6 controlled by morphine and other good stuff. <div>I’ve qualified already then since improved last weekend, then will use Peterborough to improve again (hopefully), then plan was as same as last year London to better again to A, But we’ll see. </div>
  • 1owrez1owrez ✭✭✭
    Hope you recover well Mark, can you come out with some morphine, I'm sure I can qualify at any distance on that :D
  • Mark, sympathies! Good luck for both diagnosis and easing of the pain. I presume they have checked it's not gallstone-related?
  • Mac3Mac3 ✭✭✭
    Gosh Mark, hope they find the cause soon and you recover well.  Keep us posted.
  • PeterDHMPeterDHM ✭✭✭
    I thought you were a bit quiet on Strava!  Get well soon Mark
  • Peter RPeter R ✭✭✭
    Been travelling with work for a bit lately which messes with my training and my ability to keep up with the forum.  so please add me for the dinner:

    Mac3 + 1 (Cristina)
    becca
    dubairunner (Keith)
    Terry48 (Terry)
    Mark Alderson
    McHilly
    Southern Snail + 1 (Lars)
    1owrez
    Marty74 + 1
    Debra
    Peter H + 1 (Debbie)
    baldstan
    Millsy +1 
    Peter + 1

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