#Comrades2024: BAC runner elated after achieving his goal
He finished the race in a new PB of 07:04:44 for his fourth consecutive silver medal.
A day after clocking his Comrades Marathon personal best in the up-run from Durban to Pietermaritzburg, Boksburg Athletic Club (BAC) top runner David Gamede still had enough left in the tank for “an extremely enjoyable” 21km cool-down run.
Such is the resilience and agility of the 62-year-old when he took to the streets of Durban to run a half-marathon hours after conquering the 85.9km route when most runners who participated in the race were still nursing their aches and pains.
“I feel exceptionally good this morning (June 11),” he said.
“I just ran a beautiful and extremely enjoyable 21km in 01:38. I was so strong I could easily have run 42km but I was late as we were preparing to drive back to Johannesburg.”
Gamede went into the Ultimate Human Race aiming to win the men’s grandmasters (60+) category. He did just that when he coasted to victory in a new PB of 07:04:44, achieving a goal he set himself after last year’s race after near misses in 2022 and 2023 when he finished second.
“I was 21st in my category in 2018, 10th in 2019 and second in 2022 and last year. I cried, prayed and worked for three years, planning to be first in 2024. It has happened.”
He received his fourth consecutive silver medal, adding to the Bill Rowan he got in his debut in 2018.
“I can only thank God, my wife and children for their unwavering support. I also want to thank my club, which sponsors me and others financially and emotionally, for the incredible support, as well as my coach Frank de Ascencao of Fordyce Fusion. This is the support structure that makes me run like this,” said Gamede.
He finished ahead of 1995 Comrades champion Shaun Meiklejohn, who beat him in the 2022 down-run. Meiklejohn is a 22-time Comrades silver medallist and has a further 10 gold medals achieved between 1989 and 1999.
“Shaun is my Comrades legend. It’s a big milestone to beat him,” he said.
The runner cited consistency, commitment and hard work for his success, saying he went into the ultramarathon fit and well-prepared.
Gamede and his training team, Team C16, prepared themselves in the hills in Bedfordview and Alberton, before their annual Comrades Camp in Machadodorp, where they trained at an altitude of 1 550m in preparation for the up-run’s big five hills.
“This is where my preparation came from. At our camp, we ran 70km at an elevation of 1 350m on day one and 30km at 500m above sea level the next day. We ran 100km over 1 850m elevation. We came prepared.”
He thanked Team C16 and BAC for their support and Fordyce Fusion for their training programme.
Also Read: Gamede claims another podium position
Also Read: BAC runners add glow to Johnson Crane Marathon
