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Words: Sarah Kobal | Photos: Debbie Aird Photography & Warren Goldswain / Shutterstock.com
Conquering THE
Comrades Marathon
Around 18, 000 athletes are competing at the 88th Comrades Marathon which is taking place in KwaZulu Natal on Sunday 2 June 2013. This marathon starts from City Hall in Durban at 05h30 and finishes at the Cricket Oval in Pietermaritzburg at 17h30. The distance for this year's race is approximately 86.9 km but due to the race being alternated between the 'up' run (89 km), starting from Pitermaritzburg, and the 'down' run (87 km) which starts from Durban, it varies in distance every year.
History This ultra-marathon started in 1921 and is the oldest and largest race in the world. World War l veteran Vic Clapham, started the Comrades Marathon race as a way to commemorate the South African soldiers who were killed during the Great War. He had endured a 2,700 km route march through German West Africa, losing comrades on the way and therefore wanted to have a unique test of the physical endurance. So with this in mind the Comrades Marathon was born with a goal to 'celebrate mankind's spirit over diversity'.
About the Comrades Marathon From starting off with 34 runners, with 18 runners who completed the Comrades Marathon, this annual race (with the exception of a break during World War ll) has grown to a staggering 18, 000 runners with over 300,000 runners who have completed the race! Bill Rowan won the first Comrades Marathon with a time of 08h59 hence his name is used for one of the medals. Being such an incredibly tough ultra-marathon (with a total of seven athletes that have sadly passed away whilst running this race), only athletes over the age of 20 who have completed a qualifying race, can run the Comrades Marathon. In order to complete the race, an athlete has to reach five cut-off points in specified times as well as not exceeding 12 hours overall. The route is clearly marked with signs letting the athletes know how many more kilometres they have left to complete the race. Athletes run along the roads of KwaZulu Natal, which is marked by 'The Big Five' set of hills appearing in the following order; Cowies Hill, Field's Hill, Botha's Hill, Inchanga, and finally, Polly Shortts.
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Photo: Warren Goldswain / Shutterstock.com DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA - MAY 30: Runners compete in the Comrades Marathon, an annual 90km road race that tests the greatest international long distance runners. on MAY 30, 2010 in Durban, South Africa.
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Photo: Warren Goldswain / Shutterstock.com DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA - MAY 30: Runners compete in the Comrades Marathon, an annual 90km road race that tests the greatest international long distance runners. on MAY 30, 2010 in Durban, South Africa.
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During the race, keep the following in mind After 30 km's, your body will start eating away at your protein stores once it has used up all the carbohydrate supplies, as well as sweating out roughly 4,5 litres of liquid. As a result of this, athletes are likely to lose between three to five kilograms during the race. To avoid losing too many carbohydrates and fluid, make sure you balance the carbohydrates and protein consumption during the race as well as drinking plenty of water. Your Achilles tendons will raise roughly 55 000 times on each leg! Fourteen percent of the athletes will experience dizziness during the race. Hydration is therefore important as the average athlete's body temperature will rise to 40 degrees celsius within the first two to three hours of the race. A good way to avoid heat-stroke is by throwing some water onto your head now and then. Cramping is most likely to occur during the run but athletes can avoid this by taking Slow-Mag tablets a few months before the race. Blisters are common once your stride becomes less efficient but one can easily avoid them by wearing moisture-wicking socks, wearing decent running shoes that have at least 100 km mileage, and using petroleum jelly on your feet and in-between your toes. Lastly, the most common places of chaffing are the thighs and nipples but there are easy solutions to this. Use plasters for the nipples and Vaseline for any high-chafe areas.
Handy tips for after the race After running over 80 km's, your body will definitely feel it the next day. The best idea once you have crossed the finish line is to consume plenty refreshments, shower, dress warmly, wear your medal (be proud of your accomplishment), take pictures and collect your tog bag. The first three are extremely important as your body isn't in a very good state and therefore has very little fight left in it. It is normal to feel nauseous, dizzy, tired, and sore after this enduring race so the best is to take something for nausea and lie down for a while with elevated feet. As your body has suffered, milk is one of the best solutions for rehydration as it is bland (which is great after a day of nothing but sweet things) and high in protein, which your body needs. The next step is to find something to eat as this will speed up the recovery process. Once you have gained some strength, it doesn't hurt to take some pain killers to ease the suffering. Lastly, make sure you urinate within two hours of completing the race as this is a sign that your kidneys are functioning correctly. If you do not urinate by the next day, see the doctor as your kidneys might be damaged from this strenuous race. Although this race is tough on the body, it is definitely worth it! You not only get to boast about completing the Comrades Marathon for months, even years, you know you are able to conquer such a difficult challenge.
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Photo: Debbie Aird Photography / Shutterstock.com DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA - MAY 29: Stephan Muzchingi, far left, going for his third consecutive win as front runners in the Comrades marathon approach the halfway mark on the May 29, 2011 in Durban, South Africa.
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If all you feel are nerves from now until the race on Sunday, take a deep breath and tell yourself that you are ready, and that you can complete the race as you have trained hard for it - a positive mindset being your first step towards success. Good luck to all the competitors for this upcoming Comrades Marathon! •
Medals • • • • • •
Gold medals: The first 10 men and women. Wally Hayward medals (silver-centred circled by gold ring): 11th position to sub 6hrs 00min. Silver medals: 6hrs 00min 01sec to sub 7hrs 30min. Bill Rowan medals (bronze-centred circled by silver ring): 7hrs 30min to sub 9hrs 00min. Bronze medals: 9hrs 00min to sub 11hrs 00min. Vic Clapham medals (copper): 11hrs 00min to sub 12hrs 00min.
Course Records • • • •
Men – Down run – 2007: Leonid Shvetsov (Russia) 5:20:49 Mens – Up run – 2008: Leonid Shvetsov (Russia) 5:24:49 Women – Down run – 1989: Frith van der Merwe (South Africa) 5:54:43 Women – Up run – 2006: Elena Nurgalieva (Russia) 6:09:23
Most Wins • Mens: Bruce Fordyce 9 • Women: Elena Nurgalieva 7
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In order to see if you are qualified to enter into the Comrades Marathon, here is the distance of race times: 42,2 km: sub 05:00:00 48 - 50 km: sub 06:00:00 52 - 54 km: sub 06:30:00 56 km: sub 07:00:00 60 km: sub 07:40:00 64 km: sub 08:20:00 80 km: sub 10:30:00 100 km: sub 13:30:00 *Information sources: www.wikipedia.com | www.comrades.com www.alsoranrunners.info | www.mh.co.za
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