Humorous Anecdotes, Observations & Accounts of Marathon Running & Agile Adventures.
All posts related to the Comrades Marathon
Once you’ve entered Comrades there is no backing out. There is no greater sin in South African road running than having a valid Comrades entry and failing to arrive at the start line unless you’ve got a really, really good excuse.
I am only aware of three valid excuses. Continue reading “A List of Valid Comrades Excuses”
I wrote a number of human interest runner stories in the build-up to this year’s Comrades. If you want to know how each one did, the epilogue to each story is below.
In the order that they were published: Continue reading “Comrades 2018: #RealComradesChampion Post Mortem”
On the 10th of June 2018 Ann Ashworth fulfilled a lifelong dream and won the Comrades Marathon. Two weeks later she became a champion.
Champions have to make sacrifices. Ann knows all about sacrifices – she made plenty before she got to the start line in Pietermaritzburg. Sadly, her latest sacrifice was an easy one to make – turning down the chance to represent her country at the 2018 100k World Championships in Croatia.
To her club mates she is known as the Iron Lady. An advocate by day, but an ultra-runner by morning and evening, this Iron Lady has legs that are wired for long distance running and a mind that is wired for justice.
Continue reading “The Athlete’s Champion: Ann Ashworth Attacks ASA Apathy”
Rule #1 of Comrades is “Don’t try anything new on race day.” No one says anything about the week before Comrades but they probably should. I found myself in a dilemma. The ultra-runner’s version of Catch-22: It would be really stupid to do your first adventure race the week before Comrades; but running Comrades is really stupid in the first place.
I was all set for my 9th Comrades. I wasn’t planning to conclude my Comrades taper with my first adventure race. I was planning to be a sensible ultra marathon runner. That’s the honest truth! Life was simple until Phuti got involved.
Continue reading “Doing Your First Adventure Race The Week Before Comrades? I Blame Phuti”
There were some great performances at Comrades 2018. Bongumusa Mthembu won his third Comrades and became the first South African since Bruce Fordyce (the undisputed the King of Comrades) to claim back to back victories. Likewise, in the women’s race, Ann Ashworth had the race of her life – she started as an outsider but dominated a strong field for a convincing victory.
These were great performances. However, the one that will be remembered is that of a runner who finished way down the field amongst the last of the bronze medallists. This was the year that a one-legged cancer survivor on crutches hopped the longest Comrades in 23 years. The year that a former convict gained redemption. The year that a recovering drug addict who lived under a bridge for several years redefined what is possible. On June 10, Xolani Luvuno astonished and inspired a nation – and the 2018 edition of Comrades will be remembered as Xolani’s year. Continue reading “Heroes Deserve Medals: The Tale of Xolani Luvuno (#15620)”
