Chapter 106 : the Comrades Marathon

I was born and bred in Melbourne, Australia.

In 1981 I decided to go and work in South Africa.

Arriving in South Africa many of the people I met talked about the Comrades Marathon.

At the time there were 10,000-15,000 entrants per year. The majority were young, white, male South Africans.

It was an endurance running race. Between Pietermaritzburg and Durban. Alternating between an up and down course. Distance varies but is normally about 90 kays. Both up and down courses are hilly.

In 1986 there were sporting sanctions against South Africa. That meant no international sport and domestic sport got all the media coverage. The Comrades grew bigger during this period.

In South Africa it was one of the biggest sporting events of the year. 

It was almost a rite of passage for white males.

When living in Zululand I decided to do it.  My result is two finishes. In 1985 and 1986.

Zululand was very hot and ideal for growing sugar cane.

Because of the heat I trained early in the morning.

I have memories of, to beat the heat, getting up early, running through the sugar cane and gazing up at Haley’s comet. 

In 1986 my training was interrupted by the birth of one of my daughters.

Because of the political system at the time she was born in a hospital for people classified as white.

She now has two children who are beyond racial classification.

The world, the country and the Comrades Marathon has changed.

It has gone professional.

It has gone international.

It has gone multiracial.

It has gone multisexual.

Some things never change. It is still a hard slogging race between Pietermaritzburg and Durban.

In 1986 I wrote an article for my local running club magazine titled “How to run the Comrades.”

In the photos I am wearing the shirt of the local running club. Our symbol was a local animal, the white rhino.

Reading the article today I am pretty proud of it. I tend to agree with myself. Today I would write it differently but I agree with the basic ideas.  Chapter 97 gives my present ideas on how to run a marathon. Pretty similar with slight differences.   

In South Africa, for me, long distance running was a very selfish and self-centered activity.

Returning to Australia my children and work became more important, occupied more time and left less time for long distance running.

And in Australia there was not a race with the same profile.

I have recently met a few people planning on running the Comrades. These people have inspired me to upload an article I wrote in 1986.

Enjoy it.