The Comrades Marathon remains the most talked about and admired race in South Africa.
This is an Olympic year but you can be sure the Comrades will feature just as prominently in the South African discourse.
The Comrades Marathon was founded by Vic Clapham in 1921after he had been turned down by the athletic authorities on three previous occasions as the race would be too far and too taxing on the runners.
At that first race, a down run from Pietermaritzburg to Durban, 48 runners entered, 34 started and 16 finished.
The first winner was Bill Rowan, a farmer from what is now Gauteng.
On Sunday May 29 all who compete the marathon in under nine hours will receive a Bill Rowan medal. Rowan’s winning time in 1921 was 8hr 59min.
The first “up” Comrades, in the opposite direction, took place a year later in 1922 and attracted 114 entrants of which 89 started and only 26 finished. On this occasion it was another farmer, Arthur Newton of Harding in Natal, who came through the field to win with a time of 8:40. Bill Rowan was third in 9:13 indicating that the up run was more taxing and slower.
Newton came back to slash Rowan’s down record in 1923, recording 6:56:07 (today a silver medal time) and then he completed the hat-trick in 1924 with an up run win of 6:58:22.
Many great names would emerge over the years but the modern Comrades will be remembered for the dominance of Alan Robb with four wins and Bruce Fordyce with nine.
The international injection following South Africa’s re-admission into world sport took the race away from the South Africans. However, that tide has been turned in recent years and with the ban on Russian athletes currently in place we are left with much to ponder.
There have also been other trailblazers, men and women, inclusive of Hosiah Tjale, Sam Tshabalala and last year’s two South African sensations, Gift Kelehe, whose brother Andrew won it in 2001, and Caroline Wostmann, the first South African woman to win in 18 years.
2016 is a down Comrades, so does that make it easier?
That seems the logical conclusion for many. However, it is more complex than that, notwithstanding that the down run is invariably longer than the up run due to start and finish logistics.
Running style has something to do with it. For instance, Robb preferred the down run as he has an economical shuffling style which is great for punishing down hills and while not a winner on the up hills it can still be quite effective in respect of economy.
Bruce Fordyce, on the other hand, is a runner who categorically preferred the up Comrades as in his heyday he enjoyed a great stride, which gave him an immediate advantage on hilly terrain.
All that said, a local example is perhaps compelling. Steph-anie Smith loves the Comrades and has led the Border women home each time she ran it. The problem was that she believed she was a poor hill runner and so ran only the down run, adamant that she would not even enter an up Comrades.
Along came a new running environment and coaching regimen. Still she was steadfast: “no up Comrades.” Her coaching friend prevailed that she should run.
In 2015 she secretly entered and tried to keep it from her up run protagonist. Eventually it had to “out.” The training took on new dimensions and Smith did things she had never done before.
The result was that she beat her personal best by 19:17 (down run) when she recorded her first ever silver medal with a 7:11:26 (up run). In addition she was the 13th woman and sixth South African woman to finish. She was also 35:20 quicker than the previous year – you guessed it – a down run.
It would appear that while Smith probably is a better down runner, the preparation counts for everything and the mental aspect that a team brings to the occasion helps overcome doubt.
For those runners who prefer the up run, the best advice that comes out of the wins of Robb and Fordyce – they won both up and down – would seem to be, find someone you can bounce things off, someone who has been there and done it and then go out with confidence and run the kilometres rather than the hills per se.
Time to lace up for ultimate distance feat
This is an Olympic year but you can be sure the Comrades will feature just as prominently in the South African discourse.
The Comrades Marathon was founded by Vic Clapham in 1921after he had been turned down by the athletic authorities on three previous occasions as the race would be too far and too taxing on the runners.
At that first race, a down run from Pietermaritzburg to Durban, 48 runners entered, 34 started and 16 finished.
The first winner was Bill Rowan, a farmer from what is now Gauteng.
On Sunday May 29 all who compete the marathon in under nine hours will receive a Bill Rowan medal. Rowan’s winning time in 1921 was 8hr 59min.
The first “up” Comrades, in the opposite direction, took place a year later in 1922 and attracted 114 entrants of which 89 started and only 26 finished. On this occasion it was another farmer, Arthur Newton of Harding in Natal, who came through the field to win with a time of 8:40. Bill Rowan was third in 9:13 indicating that the up run was more taxing and slower.
Newton came back to slash Rowan’s down record in 1923, recording 6:56:07 (today a silver medal time) and then he completed the hat-trick in 1924 with an up run win of 6:58:22.
Many great names would emerge over the years but the modern Comrades will be remembered for the dominance of Alan Robb with four wins and Bruce Fordyce with nine.
The international injection following South Africa’s re-admission into world sport took the race away from the South Africans. However, that tide has been turned in recent years and with the ban on Russian athletes currently in place we are left with much to ponder.
There have also been other trailblazers, men and women, inclusive of Hosiah Tjale, Sam Tshabalala and last year’s two South African sensations, Gift Kelehe, whose brother Andrew won it in 2001, and Caroline Wostmann, the first South African woman to win in 18 years.
2016 is a down Comrades, so does that make it easier?
That seems the logical conclusion for many. However, it is more complex than that, notwithstanding that the down run is invariably longer than the up run due to start and finish logistics.
Running style has something to do with it. For instance, Robb preferred the down run as he has an economical shuffling style which is great for punishing down hills and while not a winner on the up hills it can still be quite effective in respect of economy.
Bruce Fordyce, on the other hand, is a runner who categorically preferred the up Comrades as in his heyday he enjoyed a great stride, which gave him an immediate advantage on hilly terrain.
All that said, a local example is perhaps compelling. Steph-anie Smith loves the Comrades and has led the Border women home each time she ran it. The problem was that she believed she was a poor hill runner and so ran only the down run, adamant that she would not even enter an up Comrades.
Along came a new running environment and coaching regimen. Still she was steadfast: “no up Comrades.” Her coaching friend prevailed that she should run.
In 2015 she secretly entered and tried to keep it from her up run protagonist. Eventually it had to “out.” The training took on new dimensions and Smith did things she had never done before.
The result was that she beat her personal best by 19:17 (down run) when she recorded her first ever silver medal with a 7:11:26 (up run). In addition she was the 13th woman and sixth South African woman to finish. She was also 35:20 quicker than the previous year – you guessed it – a down run.
It would appear that while Smith probably is a better down runner, the preparation counts for everything and the mental aspect that a team brings to the occasion helps overcome doubt.
For those runners who prefer the up run, the best advice that comes out of the wins of Robb and Fordyce – they won both up and down – would seem to be, find someone you can bounce things off, someone who has been there and done it and then go out with confidence and run the kilometres rather than the hills per se.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending Now
Latest Videos