Category: Columns

The Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) has released more information about the 90th Ultimate Human Race, held on Sunday, 31 May 2015.

Of the 16993 starters, 13006 finished the race.

Comrades Doctor, Jeremy Boulter has issued the medical statistics. He says 325 runners were treated at the Medical tent, and about 210 at the St Johns tent.

Netcare’s St Augustines Hospital in Durban treated 28 runners, 7 of whom were admitted to the ICU. The rest of the athletes were mainly treated for dehydration, apart from a few other minor problems; and were discharged.

Of the 7 ICU patients; 3 had pneumonia, 2 had heart problems, 1 had Myocarditis (inflamed heart muscle) and 1 had dehydration. They are all fine as of yesterday.

Netcare’s St Annes Hospital in Pietermaritzburg treated 51 runners. 11 runners were admitted, 6 are in ICU, 2 in High Care and 3 in the general ward. The rest were mainly dehydrated and have since been discharged.

Of those runners who were admitted to the ICU; 2 had a heart problem, 1 had early renal failure, 2 were dehydrated and 1 had low blood pressure. All runners are doing ok today.

Dr Boulter says, ‘We had a good day in the Medical Tent. The ICU section was busier than usual, treating 17 patients, of whom 3 presented as heat stroke, and fall into the categories listed for ICU as a final diagnosis. The medical tent itself was never overloaded, and we coped extremely well. We treated about 3% of the field in both tents, which is about as expected, considering that it was quite a hot day.’

Boulter adds, ‘We would like to thank our doctors, physios, paramedics and all other medical staff and volunteers who assisted our runners on race day. We are very grateful to you all.’

Charné Bosman (Nedbank) could just be the proverbial “Joker” on Sunday in the women’s Comrades-race and cause an upset nobody expected.

In the build-up to the Comrades she purposely chose to ‘fly under the radar’ because she did not want to race to people’s expectations. In fact, if she could have it her way, she would run every step of the way from Durban to Pietermaritzburg according to the lyrics of Frank Sinatra’s great hit – My Way:

“Regrets, I've had a few; But then again, too few to mention; I did what I had to do and saw it through without exemption; I planned each charted course, each careful step along the byway; And more, much more than this, I did it my way.”

Bosman reiterated that she plans to run her own race.

“I am not going to allow the Russians, or for that matter any other athlete, to steal my energy.”
The Tuks/hpc athlete made it clear that she has paid her ‘school fees’ as far as running the Comrades is concerned. She remembers her first Comrades race in 2013 as a case of ‘fools rushing in where angels fear to tread’. She actually did very well by finishing in fifth place which was the best performance by a South African female athlete.

“It was quite an experience. I did everything wrong. For example I had no race-plan. I just ran according to how I felt and that turned out to be a big mistake. I ended up running too fast when I should in fact have been saving my energy for when it mattered. I was also clueless about the Comrades route. I only found out where Fields Hill was when a fellow athlete told me. It was at Fields Hill where I started making mistakes. I ran at a pace of 4 minutes per kilometre when I should in fact have run at 4:20 minutes per kilometre.

“When I got to the 60km marker my legs were dead. The only thing that kept me going was the fact that I am no quitter. Luckily I recovered towards the end of the race. It was only afterwards, when I read the book by the Comrades legend, Bruce Fordyce, that I realized how naïve I was going into my first Comrades.

Bosman has no fond memories about last year’s Comrades either. Unfortunately, she collapsed during the race because of a dysfunctional thyroid. She was unconscious for a few minutes and had to ‘finish’ her race in an ambulance.

Her thyroid gland was checked this week and according the doctor she has nothing to worry about.
According to Bosman her preparation has been going well. This is mainly thanks to the input of Lindsey Parry, coach at the High Performance Centre (hpc) in Pretoria.

“During the short time that Lindsey has been coaching me he made me realize the importance of sticking to a definite training plan, as well as a definite race plan. Every kilometre I ran in preparation for the Comrades has been carefully planned by Lindsey with a sound motivation as to why I am doing it. For Comrades he has worked out a definite race strategy and I know that if I stick to it I am bound to have a good race. My main goal is have a strong finish.”

According to Bosman she is eagerly counting down the final days to the Comrades.
“It is now nice getting up each morning knowing that the kilometres I need to run in training are getting less and less.”

The Modern Athlete Pacesetting Buses have become an important part of the race, with thousands of runners relying on the experienced bus drivers and conductors to help them reach their target times, or get home before the final cut-off gun.

This year we’re providing more buses than ever before, notably in that massively important last hour of the race when more than half the field comes home, and these talented, dedicated runners with their flags denoting target time are the ones to look out for on race day (the number in brackets is the amount of Comrades medals they each have). Come meet them at the Modern Athlete stand during the Expo, and watch for social media announcements of the times when they will be available for a pre-race chat.

Sub-12:00 Vic Clapham Bus
Vlam Pieterse (23) & Derrick Rondganger (7)

Sub-11:45 Vic Clapham Bus
Frans Campher (19)

Sub-11:30 Pink Drive Vic Clapham Bus

Wietsche Van Der Westhuizen (37) & Hilton Murray (11)

SUB-11:00 Bronze Bus
Jackie Campher (13), Jeff Ramokoka (16) & Chris Kubeka (13)

Sub-9:00 Bill Rowan Bus
Johan Van Tonder (12) & Shane van Dam (8)

With 10 days to the 90th celebration of the world’s biggest and best ultra-marathon, the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) has announced a special lifeline to those runners who failed to submit their qualifying details to the CMA by the deadline – 4 May 2015. They will be granted dispensation until Thursday, 21 May 2015 at 16h30.

CMA General Manager, Chris Fisher says, ‘In line with the CMA’s Vision, we plan to make the 90th Comrades Marathon even more inclusive. We have therefore decided to grant a dispensation to those runners who did not submit their qualifying details to the CMA despite several requests to do so.’

However, these runners must take note that this dispensation comes with limitations. These late changes and having to chase up runners for this information places tremendous pressure on our office staff and volunteers. It may necessitate a dedicated queue at the Durban Registration Venue at the Comrades Expo, specifically for all those who have missed the cut-off date, so that they do not delay the registration of other runners.

This will only be available at the Durban Registration Venue at the Comrades Expo and not in Pietermaritzburg. Furthermore, they will have to start at the back of the race, as the allocation of seeding batches has already closed.

In order to secure their place on the Start line, these specific runners have been sent an email and SMS with all necessary instructions and must respond by close of business on Thursday, 21 May 2015 at 16h30. Any runner who misses Thursday’s deadline will not be able to register at the Durban Expo.

Fisher says, ‘We have been inundated with both appeals and threats from runners who missed the deadline to be allowed to run the celebratory edition of the race on Sunday, 31 May 2015, including some incredibly original excuses from our runners as to why they had failed to submit these important details.’

Fisher adds, ‘One of our most important stakeholders are our runners, hence we have decided to allow this dispensation in line with the 90th Comrades celebration and a brand personality of empathy, character, humility and togetherness. At the end of the day Comrades is about the spirit that accompanies the race. Comrades help other comrades. The 90th Comrades Marathon promises to be the best yet and we look forward to seeing more runners on the Start line.’

CMA Chairman Macdonald Chitja added, “This decision was taken with only the interest of our runners at heart and allowing them to “Be Part of It” in our 90th celebratory race. We take cognizance of the added pressure this brings and take this opportunity to thank our General Manager and Race Director for supporting and implementing the decision, notwithstanding the added work the decision brings to the team.”

The 90th Comrades Marathon, an up-run from Durban to Pietermaritzburg on Sunday, 31 May 2015 will have six official cut-offs along the route. The Comrades Marathon Association’s (CMA) Race Director, Rowyn James, has announced that the following cut-offs have been confirmed and will form part of this year’s race rules:

1. Cowies Hill (17km/70.7km) – 2:40:00 (08h10)
2. Winston Park (30,7km/57km) – 4:30:00 (10h00)
3. Drummond (Halfway – 43,7km/44km) – 6:15:00 (11h45)
4. N3 Subway, Cato Ridge (57.7km/30km) – 8:10:00 (13h40)
5. Umlaas Road Interchange (67,7km/20km) – 9:30:00 (15h00)
6. Top of Polly Shortts (80,2km/7,5km) – 11:10:00 (16h40)
* Distance done/distance to go added in first brackets, and race time followed by actual time in second brackets

James says, “Due to the extra 877m route deviation in the first half of the race, the previously advertised halfway cut-off of 6 hours has been extended to 6 hours 15 minutes, so as to factor in the additional distance.”

James adds, “The cut-offs are an important facet of the race and are there for the wellbeing of the runner. Should a runner not make any one of the cut-offs within the allotted time, they will not be able to complete the race within the overall 12-hour cut-off time. It is a sad reality for quite a few runners every year, but it is all for the runner’s good.”

James concludes, “The 90th Comrades Marathon has attracted runners from across the globe. The CMA warmly welcomes all runners and supporters to our beautiful province in celebration of the world’s biggest and oldest ultra-marathon. We invite the nation to be part of it!”

Media personality and wellness expert Lisa Raleigh gives Modern Athlete a snapshot into her active lifestyle while sharing tips to stay healthy, balanced and stress-free.

As a young girl, Lisa’s passion to help people started with her toy dolls spending their days in the play-play hospital ward where she nursed them back to health. As a junior gymnast and avid ballerina, strict exercise, bed rest, intense training and a controlled diet was all part of her life. Today, she uses that experience to assist others in managing their wellbeing.

MA: Is it easy to fit in your own personal training regime in your line of work?
LISA: Being my own boss is wonderful in terms of flexibility, but it’s a lot to manage because I spend hours at a desk, in meetings, on shoots, all while managing staff. But I have also learnt how important my health and fitness are, so I work it into the day. I’m self-disciplined, so I can happily squeeze in a massage or a run and know that I’ll finish my work later. And when people see me doing workouts or new fitness things on TV, it’s a lot of stop-start shooting. People think I’ve just done an intense class, but its minimal shooting at different angles and not at all what your own workout would be.

MA: So have you managed to find the right dose of ‘me time,’ too?
LISA: Setting non-negotiables is probably my best strategy for keeping some order and consistency. I make sure that I get seven hours of sleep every night. I make sure that I exercise every single day for at least 20 minutes. I also have a vegetable juice every day to get as many nutrients in as possible. With those set in stone, the rest of my day is completely flexible in fitting in work meetings, admin hours and family time.

MA: You’re an expert on stress management, so what simple tips can our readers use to find balance in their schedule?
LISA: Build a support system. Give time to your strengths, ask assistance with your weaknesses, and delegate properly. Tell friends and family about your goal, to gather encouragement. If you join a class, a club, a fitness WhatsApp group, it can help. What also works is finding your own personal outlet. For me, it’s finding my creativity in my jewellery design for my brand, the Noble Collection. Everybody needs something relaxing that fully absorbs their attention. I also advise people to be realistic with their goals. You can’t give yourself a month to run Comrades or two weeks to lose so many kilograms. The faster you acknowledge flaws, the quicker they can be dealt with. Don’t be fearful of them – they won’t go away. It also helps being an early riser.

MA: Have you also learnt what foods fit well with your lifestyle?
LISA: I’m a vegetarian for ethical reasons, but coincidentally my body doesn’t happily digest meat proteins. I flourish with vegetarian protein options like eggs, beans, nuts, seeds and tofu. I take the low-GI approach and it works for me. I think people need to actually pay attention to how they’re feeling instead of what they look like. People need to do a lot of research and eliminate what makes them feel bad or tired.

MA: What training do you enjoy most?
LISA: I practice strength training with heavy weights, but if I’m short on time I will do body weight exercises that are high intensity with very short rest periods. I love kettlebells, interval training and compound movement that uses an overall body movement, but I never stick to the same routine and I like to experiment. I absolutely love running and use it as a way to explore new environments when I’m away travelling. It’s so easy as well – you just put on your shoes, hook up your iPod and go. I do prefer shorter distances, though. I feel more invigorated if I do shorter, high intensity run or sprints.

Only two athletes have ever won both of South Africa’s premier ultra-marathons in the same year. The one was Frith van der Merwe in 1989, the other was Derek Preiss, the man from Durban who managed the feat not once, but twice, in 1974 and 1975, aged just 21/22. However, just four years later he had retired from running…

When the Westville Athletic Club held it’s 40th anniversary dinner in April last year, one of the VIP guests was former founding member Derek Preiss, now 62, the only man ever to do the Comrades-Two Oceans double, and yet it was only the second time he had been back to the clubhouse since retiring from the sport in his mid-twenties. “I stopped running when I was still very young because I got stone bored with it, and I have been uninvolved in running for decades now. They had to really rope me in to go to the club’s 40th, and I only agreed to go when I heard Derek Kay was going to be there,” says Derek. “Back then I lived for running, but as much I grew to love it, so I later grew to hate it. I have fond memories, but no regrets. I turfed out all my memorabilia, so there is nothing in my home that indicates I ever ran, and I don’t think back to those days that often.”

Comrades Dream
Derek got into running thanks to his father, Richard (Rick), who started running at 50 to regain his fitness. When he ran his fifth Big C in 1971, Derek ran with him, having trained for the race in Bloemfontein whilst doing his military service, and they finished together in 9:32:20. “I actually did everything wrong in that first Comrades. The night before, my Dad said he was battling with his shoes, so we swapped shoes, and halfway through the race we had to swap back because we both had blisters! For years we laughed about that ridiculousness!”

The following year Derek finished 32nd in 6:49:48, and in 1973 he went after a top 10 placing, coming home eighth in 5:54:35. “From there, I decided I wanted to win the race, and everything was geared towards that,” says Derek, who raced Two Oceans for the first time in 1974 and won it in 3:21:40, then took Comrades honours in 6:02:49. A year later he was back to defend both titles successfully, winning Oceans in 3:22:01 and Comrades in 5:53:00. “I ran very differently to most runners: I did high mileage and ran everything flat-out,” he says. “Sometimes I ran four races in a row and won them all, which would be frowned upon today, but somehow it worked for me.”

Injury and Retirement
Next Derek was invited to go race the London to Brighton ultra in the UK, but turned down the sponsored trip to focus on chasing a third win at Comrades in 1976. However, he finished third at Two Oceans (3:22:44), having suffered a hamstring strain mid-race, and that was still bothering him at Comrades, forcing him to settle for 14th position in 6:10:00. Soon after that he decided to retire from running. He did make a brief return in 1982-1983, adding two more silver medals to his Comrades collection, but he had very much outrun the running bug by then. He also got married to Debbie in 1983, and says that initially she didn’t know about his running history. “She had no idea who I was in running terms, but we were going to a cross-country race in Pinetown and I figured I should tell her, so I got out old photo albums and showed her when I won Comrades. She had actually seen me on TV in old footage of the Train Race, but didn’t twig at the time that it was me!”

The couple have two sons, Gareth (27) and Matthew (23), and Derek will be retiring at the end of this year after 45 years working for Transnet. He still walks for fitness, with the odd jog thrown in, but that is as far as his running ambitions stretch. “When I was running, most guys were 10 years older and I could see how they had to balance family and work with their running. I think that predisposed me to not want to continue running forever, but I will never forget how it felt to take the lead in the Comrades as a lightie of just 21 years. Still, the real highlight was those early morning runs with Dave Rogers and Chris Hoogsteeden on Cowies Hill… I felt so strong, so fit, like nobody could challenge me, feeling on top of the world.”

The 90th Comrades Marathon which starts outside Durban’s City Hall on Sunday, 31 May 2015 has extensive medical emergency, first aid and physiotherapy provisions for its thousands of participants. The Comrades Marathon Association’s (CMA) Medical Doctor, Dr Jeremy Boulter has announced that the following facilities will be made available to the Comrades runner, should medical care be required.

Sponsored by Netcare 911, these much-needed medical amenities will be made available at strategic positions along the nearly 87.72km Comrades route and at the finish venue, being the Oval Cricket Stadium in Pietermaritzburg.

This comprises eight physiotherapy stations, a fleet of ambulances, six rapid response vehicles and four motorcycles with advanced life support paramedics. In addition, an emergency helicopter will be available should the need arise.

This will be controlled by the fully equipped Joint Operations Control (JOC), based at the finish venue to operate and record all details and dispatch vehicles, as and when necessary.

The Netcare 911 Medical Emergency Number to remember is 082 911. This should be used for all calls for medical assistance for runners, upon which the calls will be routed directly to the Medical JOC.

There are eight Netcare 911 Physio/ First Aid Stations which incorporate physiotherapists, professional nurses and paramedical staff. These stations can treat minor medical problems, as well as blood sugar testing and further used to treat or stabilize runners until the arrival of ambulances. Physio students will also be positioned at certain refreshment stations along the route and a physio tent is set up at the finish.

Headed by Dr Boulter, the extensive Adcock Ingram Critical Care Medical Tent at the finish is equally equipped to handle just about any medical eventuality. It comprises about 70 doctors and interns, 20 nurses and a mini laboratory, courtesy of Ampath Laboratories.

Other facilities at the Tent include a 3-bed fully equipped ICU-type resuscitation area, which comprises its own specialist emergency team to provide appropriate emergency care if required.

A critical care emergency facility right on the finish line has also been set up in order for athletes to access on-the-spot medical help if needed. This is staffed by an emergency care doctor and a paramedic. The purpose of this specific medical facility is to have in place a primary, emergency resuscitation area if a runner is in severe trouble at the finish, and requires immediate care, prior to being transferred to the medical tent.

Additionally, an advanced life support paramedic will be stationed along, or at the end of the Toyota Mile, for the purposes of responding to calls to runners in that area who are in trouble before they enter the stadium.

Add to all of the above facilities, the St. John’s Ambulance Tent. Here, runners can access such facilities as R&R, rub-downs, strapping, massage and the like.

The Netcare group of hospitals will be providing the required facilities for Comrades day. To this end, the St. Augustines Hospital in Durban will be utilized for those runners who require hospitalization before halfway.

For those runners in the second half of the race and at the finish, the referral hospital in Pietermaritzburg is St. Annes. Runners with Medical Aid may be charged at Medical Aid rates and those without will be treated free of charge for a maximum of 24 hours, thanks to Netcare. Please note that this applies ONLY to runners who are taken directly to hospital from the route, or referred to hospital from the Medical facility at the finish.

The free medical treatment for runners without medical aid DOES NOT APPLY to runners who make their own way to hospital once they have left the finish venue.

For relatives and friends of runners being treated in the Medical facility, we have a dedicated Medical waiting tent adjacent to the main Medical facility. We cannot allow the public into the Medical facility. With close to 100 staff and 130 patients in the tent, there is just no room for relatives or friends, and they pose a danger to both themselves and runners.

If they know that their runner is in the Medical facility, or are so informed by the information tent, they will be directed to the waiting tent. Refreshments will be available there, and the staff, who are in direct contact with the medical staff, will keep them updated on the status of the patient.

Pics from The Comrades Marathon, world's greatest ultra – a gruelling 87km from Durban to Pietermaritzburg. Get ready for this year's race on 31 May 2015. Bamba Iqhaza!

The Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) has announced the final race distance for the 90th Comrades Marathon. CMA Race Director, Rowyn James has confirmed that the route measurement has been finalised and the official distance is 87,72km, making it one of the longer Up-Runs in recent history.

James has explained that due to the GO!Durban Integrated Rapid Public Transport Network road-works in Josiah Gumede Road (Old Main Road), Pinetown, the route has deviated slightly for Comrades race day. The CMA took the decision in accordance with its strict protocols on runner safety. The deviation occurs between the 69km – 67km to go Bonitas Kilometre marker boards and means an extra 877 meters has been added onto the same route as the 2013 Up-Run.

James continues, “The construction in Pinetown does not adversely affect the route or the race and everything has been done by ourselves and the Municipality to minimise the impact on the event.”
Runners coming down Cowies Hill into Josiah Gumede Road (Old Main Road) in Pinetown will turn left into Beviss Road just beyond the SAPS Building, then right into Bamboo Lane, cross over St. Johns Avenue and then turn right into School Road, cross over Josiah Gumede Road, and turn left into Kings Road crossing over Crompton Street and Glenugie Road before turning left into Anderson Road and then right back into Josiah Gumede Road to resume with the existing route towards Fields Hill.

James has stressed that Pinetown is the only place where the route deviation will occur. The remainder of the 87.72km route will stay the same as per the up-runs of the recent past.
James concludes, “The CMA has worked closely with our provincial athletics federation, KwaZulu-Natal Athletics in terms of route measurement and the deviation; and will continue to do so with regard to other related contingencies. We look forward to an amazing race day for our runners and supporters alike.

James has advised that the following cut-off times will be in place at various points along the route and that runners need to factor this into their overall race day plan.

The new cut-off introduced is at the base of Cowies Hill – corner of Josiah Gumede Rd (Old Main Road) and Otto Volek Road intersection (opposite Sandy Shopping Centre).

The 90th running of the world’s biggest and oldest ultra-marathon will be an ‘up-run’ from Durban to Pietermaritzburg on Sunday, 31 May 2015. For details on the race, please visit www.comrades.com