So, even an Icelandic Volcano couldn’t stop Niandi and myself making our trip to South Africa and the 86th edition of the Comrades Ultra Marathon. However, 24 hours before our departure we were pretty worried. Scottish air space and been shut down and a certain American President decided to leave Ireland 24 hours early….. You can’t blame him for that though can you!
The threat of further disruption was a real worry. Our journey involved a flight from Manchester to Paris CDG, then a connecting flight from CDG to JoBurg followed by an internal SA flight from JoBurg to Durban. Because the ‘cloud’ was in the north of the UK, my emergency plan was to jump in the car, miss the Manchester flight and get over to Paris for the flight to JoBurg. As it happened on our departure day, Wednesday 25th May, air space was declared clear for the UK. Phew….
I hadn’t quite appreciated how long our journey would take. Silly really as I booked the flights and it was obvious from the paperwork that we left the UK on Wednesday at around 1800 hrs and arrived in Durban at appx 1400 hrs the next day. We left our home midday, lunch stop en route, car park, transfer to airport, check in, kill time and then we were flying to Paris on schedule. The seat belt sign went off, quick drink, seat belt sign on and then before you know it we landed some 55 min later. Paris, it’s so close we should have run….
Our connecting flight from CDG was only at 23:20 so we had time for a relaxed dinner. When we arrived at the gate I was excited to see that we would be taking the Airbus A380. What a plane! Not only did we have a super plane for the journey but also it was probably only 50% full. This made the journey far more pleasurable. I actually managed to lift the armrests and make a bed; albeit a small one. But as Niandi keeps reminding me, “You are small” – at least in height anyway.
It would be nice to say that the flight was over in a flash but for all of you that have experienced long haul on the ‘red eye’ you know this is not the case. Broken sleep, dry atmosphere and despite being on one of the best planes in the world it was still pretty uncomfortable. On arrival at JoBurg, despite having checked our bags to ‘final destination’ we were told that we needed to collect our luggage and re check in for our internal SA flight to Durban. We had 2 hours so it shouldn’t be a problem. Luggage collected, quick jog to the transfer desk, check in, run to security making sure that we put our guns and knives in the relevant security boxes and before we knew it we where back in the air for the quick flight to Durban. Land, luggage, hire car and road…. Some 27 hours after leaving our home we arrived at our beachfront hotel in Durban. Our view was the Indian Ocean, blue skies and a wonderful South African winter heat!
No!
We had thunderstorms, torrential rain and an absolutely horrendous gale force wind. Niandi assured me that “this was most unusual’. Yeah right… a 55-mile ultra over a super hilly course with a 100mph head wind and torrential rain. Comrades may just well be the toughest ultra ever.
We unpacked, showered, rested for an hour or so and then headed to the Hilton Hotel for the International meet up. It is a casual affair in the hotel bar but well worth attending if you do the race in future years. I had planned to meet up with Marathon Talk friends, Martin Yelling and Tom Williams (plus partners and ruby Rose) and also meet other running friends such as Ian Sharman. A good friend of Niandis organized this running event, Might Mark Bloomfield plus Bruce Fordyce would be around for a natter.
Post the drinks Niandi and myself went to the revolving restaurant at the harbor. One of only 31 revolving restaurants in the world. It is a little run down inside but it serves good Italian food and the views are worth the trip. We had a lovely waitress called Princess. Niandi had a photo taken with her and we told her that we would send her a copy of the photo. She almost cried with happiness. Funny how such a simple gesture can make a persons day.
Despite a busy evening we managed to hit the sack before 10pm and slept like we hadn’t slept in weeks. We needed it. The race was less than 48 hours away.
We arrived at the race expo the next day to see a line of runners all waiting to register. Apparently it was taking over an hour to get to the front…. We bumped into Liz Yelling who had been getting coffee for Mart and Tom who like ‘perfect Brits’ were lining up in an orderly fashion. Niandi mentioned to Liz that International runners didn’t need to line up as we had our own registering point. Liz informed us that the computers had been down for a few hours and this why the wait was so long. Niandi wormed her way through the line and headed straight to the front…. I was now in that position thinking that we were being mischievous but also I didn’t want to question Niandi’s knowledge of the race; she has done it 12 times after all and 2011 was going to be the 13th. At the front we saw a sign pointing right to ‘International Registration’ and of course no wait. Niandi gave me that ‘I told you so’ look and I then tried to contact Mart and Tom to inform them. For some reason I couldn’t get through on the mobile. We registered. I had a minor trauma in finding out that my number and timing chip was in Pietermaritzburg, the race finish. Apparently I must have ticked the wrong box on the entry form. No worries I was told, it would be sent down for collection later. We killed some time, chatted and drank Rooibos Tea. Some 30-40 min later Martin and Tom arrived. Those boys love a nice long queue.
The Comrades Expo surprised me. It was much larger than I expected. It was similar in size to say London or Paris Marathons. Having said that, Comrades is the biggest Ultra in the World so the expo should reflect that! We passed the ‘Newton’ stand; I stopped and then said to Niandi to look over her left shoulder. Niandi isn’t one for getting weak knees at seeing ‘celebrities’ but I am really pleased to have witnessed Niandi loose it completely and become a ‘groupie’ in the presence of Zola Budd. So funny to hear Niandi say, “I have followed your career for years and years, you are my heroine”. Funny. Very funny. It made Niandi’s day and I am so happy I was cheeky enough to ask for a photo.
We spent the afternoon relaxing and then in the evening we headed to the Runners World Pasta Party. We chose table 13 to coincide with Niandi’s 13th run and met a great bunch of runners from the USA, Ireland, UK and Australia. It was a better than average pasta party with good food and a very funny comedian for entertainment. A good night.
Saturday came and we had less than 24 hours to go. An early morning 3 mile run to loosen off was made a little extra special with both Niandi and myself crossing paths with the Russian Twins. I stopped for a photo. Niandi did a ‘u’ turn and ran behind them trying to get in the photo; she failed!
I collected my number and chip at the expo. Always fatal, expos sap your energy and you see people aimlessly walking around for ages. Maybe they get comfort from the crowd and feeling part of atmosphere. Niandi wanted another quick look around…. Of course more stands and products will have appeared overnight; not! I wanted out and some calm and relaxation before tomorrows big day. We had a relaxed lunch, saw a few sights along the beachfront, ate pasta for dinner and then retired early in readiness for the 3am alarm that would awake us for the Comrades 2011 Ultra Marathon.
THE RACE
Prelude
The shrill of the alarm came and with it the realization of a long day ahead.
Niandi and myself had come prepared (as per usual) with instant porridge oats. Black coffee was made and then a very early breakfast was consumed. We needed to leave our room about 4:15 am to walk to the start so I lay back down and rested.
Race kit was put on and Vaseline was applied to all the areas that were prone to chaffing. I mean ALL areas. I was using a camel back for the race so that I could carry my chosen liquid and gels for the duration of the race. I like being in control and not leaving anything to chance. Had this been a trail ultra, the questions over using this system would not have been an issue but because this was a road ultra with excellent feed stations I did wonder if I was being over prepared.
We started our walk to the start. We walked along the beachfront and then took a right turn that would lead straight to City Hall on West Street. As we walked I became a little worried, this was a road that you wouldn’t normally walk down at 4:30am, however, we took comfort from seeing other runners. I was taking about the film ‘Zulu’ and the scene when thousands of Zulus arrived on a ridge banging shields and chanting at the British Soldiers at Rorkes Drift. Of course the film portrayed the battle of 1879 when 11 Victoria Crosses were awarded to British Soldiers. One of who was Michael Caine – I had never realized he was that old! Not a lot of people know that….
I digress. Just as I finished the story approximately 30 + Zulu men walked out of a local hostel to our left. Now I know this all sounds to good to be true and that I am ‘glossing’ for literary purposes but just as the 2nd Battalion and the 24th Warwickshire regiment of Foot had faced up to the Amazulu people I thought this was my time to get a VC for UK runners. Some 10 meters behind I suddenly heard a loud cry and then in unison the 30+ men made the most beautiful noise I have ever heard. Covered in goose bumps and with a tear in my eye we made our way to do battle ‘as one’ against the enemy – the 54 miles between Durban and Pietermaritzburg. It is a moment I will never forget. For me, this musical procession to the start has left a greater impression than the race itself. It was magic.
Fighting our way into our respective pens, Niandi and I separated company. We would see each other at the end of the day. Niandi was in pen C and I was gladly in pen A at the front of the race, some 15000+ runners behind.
The second goose bump moment arrived with the South African anthem:
God protect Africa
Raise high its glory
Hear our prayers
God bless us, her children
God, we ask You to protect our nation
Intervene and end all conflicts
Protect us, protect our nation,
our nation, South Africa — South Africa.
Sounds the call to come together,
And united we shall stand,
Let us live and strive for freedom
In South Africa our land.
The cockerel sounded and then we sang Shosholozza, a Ndebele folk song that originated in Zimbabwe. It is often referred to as South Africa’s second National Anthem.
Go forward
Go forward
on those mountains
train from Zimbabwe
Go forward
Go forward
You are running away
You are running away
on those mountains
train from Zimbabwe
Tears continued to roll down my cheeks. It is quite an incredible moment as ‘Chariots of Fire’ starts and then the gun. We were off!
Durban to Pietermaritzburg – The UP run
With the gunshot we moved forward with a cheer. It was 5:30am and still dark. What lay ahead was unknown to me. The only thing I was sure of was that the course was approximately 54 miles, we would finish in ‘PM’ at an altitude of 650m and that I would encounter ‘The Big Five’ en route. By the ‘Big Five’ I mean hills and not animals.
If you look at the course profile, the UP run is basically UP from start to finish with the first 30k without rest. I decided to forget pace targets and run on feel. Get to approximately 18 miles and then see how I feel.
I was amazed in the first 5k how many runners from groups B, C, D, E and F came running past me. Was I being over cautious or did they all know something I didn’t. I stuck my ground and run comfortable.
Running up the Berea Road to the summit at Tollgate it soon became apparent that this was no ordinary course. A brief decent doesn’t give any rest because you have been climbing for so long, in fact, the quads take a battering and then we start to head UP once again to the first of the Big Five – Cowies Hill.
Cowies is about 14k from the start and feeling fresh I maintained my effort level just easing off the pace a little for the increased incline. Here I meet a friend from the UK, David Ross. We have a chat and he kindly invites me to his Sisters for a Comrades Champagne Breakfast the following day. Sounded perfect! This early on in the race I didn’t find Cowies too hard. It is considered moderately difficult. Around me many started to walk. I heard one guy saying aloud “1 minute walk and then start running again for 9 min and repeat, come on, stick to the plan”. I looked at him – Green Number (means he had run 10 or more Comrades). I take a note and think to myself that this guy is on a strategy that he knows works. It’s a wise move. Stick to a plan early on and pay the dividends at the end! I honestly feel that Cowies needs to be respected purely from the point of view that by the team you reach it you have been running UP constantly from the start.
Down Cowies and I let myself go a little and relax into the downhill. I was cautious not to nail the down hills as this would obviously only impact on the legs and in particular the quads later on. I had purposely changed my running shoes some two months before Comrades to a new brand of shoe called Hoka One One. These shoes designed in France have been a revolution to my running. They may not be the best looking shoes on the market but the technology and the feel while running has proven to be a real plus for me. On the ‘downs’ the Hokas helped reduce the impact and provide a secure and stable foot bed from which to push on from.
At this point in the race my Camelback was irritating me. Why? Well in all previous runs over the 4- 6months leading to Comrades I had been wearing either long sleeve tops or short sleeve tops. At Comrades I wore a vest and of course the lack of fabric under the arm left the skin exposed and allowed the shoulder strap to rub. Fortunately the superb feed stations on the course had regular ‘Vaseline’ points so I made use of them to reduce the problem.
At 22k Fields Hill made it’s presence known. It rises 213m over 3km and it is a warning before Botha’s Hill.
I was still feeling pretty god here. I stuck to ‘feel’ and took the hill within my stride taking short steps and keeping my breathing easy. It would be nice to say that after Fields Hill you get some rest but unfortunately not. This is what makes Comrades so tough. You literally seem to get no flat…. You are either going up or down. Hillcrest arrives and you then have another decent. Botha’s Hill was shorter at around 2.5k long but by the time you reach the top you are nearing the half waypoint and the course is beginning to take its toll.
Another issue was my gels! After 30k I was sick of them. I don’t know why, maybe I was under more stress on the course than I thought or maybe it was the temperatures slowly increasing. Either way, my ‘self sufficient’ plan was proving pointless as I started to take water from the feeds, I used the food available form the relevant stations and I replaced my electrolytes with ‘Salt Tabs’. I am a heavy sweater so 1 tablet every hour is essential on long and hot races.
From the summit of Botha’s Hill it is a short but steep decent. Here many runners are starting to walk down hill. Yes, walk downhill. It is a clear sign that Comrades punishes you.
Through Alverstone and suddenly we are being offered a rose to lie at ‘Arthurs Seat’. Arthur’s Seat is a niche cut into a wall. Apparently Arthur Newton, five times winner of Comrades used to sit here for a rest when out running. Comrade’s tradition says that if you leave the flower as a greeting to Mr. Newton you will have a good second half of the race. I wasn’t aware of this and I am pretty sure that I pissed Arthur off when I gave it to a very nice lady sat at the side of the road. Still, it made her and me smile.
I arrived at ‘Drummond’ in approximately 3:51 feeling tired but not jaded. I was on the home straight now or so I thought. Inchanga is the kick in the face immediately after half way and a stern reminder that the home straight comes with a lot of effort. I walk / run up this hill sticking to a formula that I often use in hilly trail races. I have no problem walking in any ultra when the need arises. In-fact, I often find that I get better times when using this strategy.
My pre race nutrition strategy was out of the window and I was craving solid food and not sweet, sticky gel. Biscuits and a chocolate/ nougat type sweet did the trick and I found this far more palatable for the remainder of the race. The water provided on the course is in sachet form and ice cold. Pepsi was on offer and although I would have loved a drink I knew that I had to wait to the latter stages before I started getting a ‘kick’ from the sugary stuff.
Crowd support throughout the race was superb and being recognized as an ‘International’ runner created even more support. “Welcome to our Country’ was a constant shout from the sidelines. Families would be cooking at the side of the road, drinking a few ‘tinnies’ and basically having a superb day out watching some 16,000 people suffer.
We passed the Ethembeni School for handicapped children. The children lined the road all of them either seated or in wheel chairs. Big white teeth shone brightly and they smiled and cheered as I ran past. It is a sobering moment. Any pain in the legs suddenly goes when you realize that you are doing something that none of these children can do. I ‘high fived’ as many as I could trying not to miss anyone out. A deep breath and I pushed on.
Why did I give that rose to that woman? Arthur was pissed off and he obviously decided that NOW was the time to turn the screw. The irony is that in terms of course profile the final 30k is more ‘runnable’. The problem is your legs are trashed from the previous 60k. Therefore you just have to grit your teeth and manage your effort as best you can. I was running the downs and at this stage mostly walking the ups with a jog and walk as required on the flats. It isn’t really how I had planned to do the race but you do what you can on the day and make the most of what you have. I was well aware that whatever tough time I was having that I was still in the first 10% of the field so I had nothing really to moan about…. Well, apart from the fact that my legs felt like they belonged to someone else!
I grabbed a Pepsi. Wow, cold and with an ice cube in it! How fantastic. I can’t explain that feeling of the cold and bubbles hitting the mouth and throat when both are dry and needing refreshment. It was so good I take another being careful not too let too much cold onto my stomach. I push on thinking that I only have just over a half marathon to go. A lady at the side of the road comes towards me with a tray of delights. I stop and get confused by the buffet on offer. I jokingly say that she has provided me with too much choice. I notice a slice of bread with a layer of peanut butter on top. Perfect I think. I take the tasty morsel, thank the lady and walk on inserting the snack into my mouth….
My dry, parched mouth!
Peanut butter sticks to the roof of my mouth, the bread sticks to my tongue and I spend a good minute doing some sort of mouth dance trying to release what should have been a pleasurable experience. Lesson learnt. Peanut butter and dry mouths definitely don’t go together.
Little Polly’s is ahead, not one of the Big Five but it may as well be at this stage. To be honest, speed bumps in the road are considered a formidable challenge when your legs are so road weary. Then ‘Polly Shorts’ arises in front at 80km. The last of the Big Five hills. At this point in the race it is a brute. I don’t attempt to run it. I set myself in my power walk and aim to get to the top as quickly as possible. This hill is often considered the make or break point even for the front-runners. It is about 2km in length (it felt much longer). Altitude here is 737m and while it is not the highest point on the course it doesn’t matter. A hill like this at 50 miles is tough. A woman at the top tells me it’s all-downhill from here… bloody liar! She may not have considered the following lumps as hills but I bloody did. The end was in sight. The crowds, the street parties, the feed stations all rallied to make the final 5 miles a great experience.
In the final mile I could see the light towers of the cricket oval. Boy was that a long last mile. The road narrowed, the barriers closed in and suddenly I was on grass. Entering the stadium I realized that every single person who made the oval that afternoon was a winner. It’s not about time; it’s the journey that counts. A 100m from the line my calf went into spasm and I had to stop and stretch it off before continuing to cross the line in 8:39:41 for a comfortable Bill Rowan medal.
I exited the finish shoot and made my way to the International tent to wait for other friends and of course Niandi. I sat with Ian Sharman, he had been hoping for a top 10 finish after a stunning 6:01 run in 2010. By his standards he had an ‘off’ day with a 6:25. Wish I could have an off day like that… Ian felt he was over trained. He had been trying to balance Comrades training with training for the Western States 100 in some 5 weeks after the South African race.
Watching the screens and seeing the joy and the pain on every runners face made me realize why this is called the ‘Ultimate Human Race’. It is London Marathon but over double the distance and over terrain that is brutal; stunning. Niandi finished pretty much dead on 10 hours and considering some pre race injury issues both Niandi and myself were very happy with the outcome. This left our good friends Tom & Martin out on the course. It soon became obvious that they were having issues. To be honest, trying to run an ultra in a group, even a small group of 2 of 3 causes big issues. The main problem is that you don’t only have your bad patches but you also have everyone else’s! Martin had some real problems early in the race with his stomach and also a recurring knee issue. In true ultra fashion the guys zipped up the man suits and gritted teeth together to finish in less than 11 hours. After crossing the line they both expressed how difficult and brutal they had found the course. They give a good account of the race via the Marathon Talk podcast available on iTunes or at : www.marathontalk.com
At the front of the field, first across the line was Stephen Muzhingi in a quite ridiculous 5:32:45. Of course the Russian twins, Elena & Oleysa Nurgalieva lead home the womens field in 6:24:11 but snapping at the heels was Kami Semick from the US less than 2 mins behind. Notably we had two British ladies, Ellie Greenwood and Lizzie Hawker in the top 10.
Post Race
The race over Niandi and myself escaped to the quiet of Durban and a hearty dinner. You must replace those calories…. and then compensate for the 2 or 3 meals you missed during the day.
On reflection, I ran the race to the best of my ability, I always do. The course surprised me and armed with knowledge of the race I would do some very specific training runs to adapt myself to the demands the Comrades course brings. I was told prior to this year’s race that you need to run Comrades to know how to run it. I would agree with that. Next year is the down run and therefore a whole new set of demands will be called upon in the race. I plan to go back and get my back-to-back medals and become a true Comrade. Of course that will then mean that I need to come back in 2014 and do the UP run again…. Well, I know the course now so surely I must be able to run quicker!
The holiday
The following seven days were spent on holiday. No running just relaxing and good times. It was my first visit to Africa and most definitely not my last. Pretty sure you don’t want to read about our visit to the Drakensberg Mountains, the smallest church in the world, the lion park, crocodile city or me asking Victor Matfield (Springbok vice captain) for his autograph. Have a look at he story in pictures here: https://picasaweb.google.com/runwild.runfree.uk/SouthAfrica2011
Here is my Garmin Profile from the race: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/91901987
