Things I learned in the Kingdom of the Zulu and at Comrades (by a guy who didn’t run the Comrades) 2.0
Logan Green, sports journalist, writes:
The Comrades Marathon.
Just say the name to someone in South Africa and you are bound to hear a story or two by someone who has either run the race, has a relative or friend who has run it or knows of a friend whose granny has a friend who buys rusks at the local padstal who has finished the Comrades.
The Comrades Marathon is just that – distinctively South African, and proudly South African, too.
As am I.
Following the success of my 2016 blog (Things I learned in the Kingdom of the Zulu and at Comrades (by a guy who didn’t run the Comrades) I again decided to hop into my by blue Ford Figo and drive out to KwaZulu-Natal to witness local runners from my neck of the woods and other parts of the land braving 86.73km of their own mental and physical battles, this time the other way around, all the way up from Durban to Pietermaritzburg.
This time I was accompanied by my esteemed Benoni City Times editor, Kevin van der List.
As mentioned in our first #LG_KevEd Comrades diary post from the few days when we were there, our mission was simple: To give you a unique angle of coverage of the oldest ultra-marathon in the world.
https://www.citizen.co.za/benoni-city-times/296958/lg_keved-comrades-diary-entry-1-benoni-ballito/
We also aimed to promote the BCT outside the borders of our little East Rand town and try to teach folks that there is more to Benoni than it just being Charlize Theron’s hometown.
I truly hope we achieved that in some small way.
Anyway, in order to maintain my habit of blogging something whenever I leave my Rynfield residence for different places I have again come up with a list of things learned while out there in Natal and on the Comrades route.
1. Toll gate personnel are some of the saddest folk in the country
Shame, imagine having to sit in a toll booth all day looking at all the ugly faces coming through.
Okay, that’s at least until Kev and I rock up at the gate.
I’m all for employment, no doubt about it, but we got very few smiles from our friends at the toll gates. :(
I’m sure that kind of monotonous work does take “a toll” on a person.
I once worked as a parcel scanner in a warehouse of a large logistics firm in Boksburg scanning bar codes.
Needless to say that only lasted a week, but I feel your pain toll gate workers!
Perhaps we should carry some droëwors sticks or a few flowers on us next time and hand them out to our fellow hard-working South Africans to spread the love and happiness.
Or even better, how ’bout we scrap those toll gates altogether, hmmm?
Genius idea!
2. Stay at the quirky and unique places
In our second daily diary entry from our Comrades journey we spoke about the cool spot in Ballito where we spent a few nights, Monkey Bay Backpackers.
https://www.citizen.co.za/benoni-city-times/297028/lg_keved-comrades-diary-entry-2-ballito/
I have stayed there before with a group of mates for a brief getaway and I was absolutely adamant that we stay there while Kev and I were in KZN.
It did not disappoint.
We met incredible people, had plenty of laughs and consumed a fair share of that sweet golden nectar of the gods, beer (only on the Friday, we promise). ;)
And, on that magical topic of beer… The next lesson:
3. Elite athletes drink beer
No, I’m not talking about myself.
At Benoni Northerns Athletic Club the guys are always down to chug down a couple of quarts at their famous bar, The Scimitar.
Some of these peeps just ran the Comrades!
Some of these peeps just finished the Comrades!
Some of these peeps just got Bill Rowan medals!
Even the overall winner of the women’s race, Camille Herron, is a self-confessed beer lover.
The champ from Oklahoma in the USA is a home brewer by hobby and apparently chugged down two brews (mixed with ginger beer) during the race.
Maybe that’s why she has an unorthodox running style?
I think Camille would be welcomed with open arms at any Benoni sports club.
What a legend!
4. Not all Americans are ignorant (or support Donald Trump)
On the topic of America, I have never been to the United States of America so I guess I had that predetermined perception that Americans only gave a toot about things happening in their own backyard.
I mean, when you see a post like this on YouTube, you can see why some might say so:
But, no!
Hell no, actually!
Kev and I, at Monkey Bay, befriended and jolled with a group of eight veterinary students in South Africa for a course and some exploring.
A group from different corners of the States, who all attend a vet school on the Caribbean island of Grenada.
They were awesome!
They are awesome!
Just good and solid down-to-earth individuals.
Smart, fun, interesting, inquisitive and super interested in South Africa.
Needless to say, we have already been Googling ticket prices to Grenada.
And that perception I initially had?
Gone!
Out the window!
I think you just get dof, averagely smart and genius people in general.
5. Always be aware of your surroundings
Kevin and I are journalists and hear crazy crime stories all day, every day.
So, naturally we’re paranoid.
In Maritzburg we were close to being hijacked or smash-and-grabbed at a robot.
Fortunately, I dropped that clutch like Wednesday night drags at the Rock Raceway in Brakpan and got the heck outta there.
Anyway, back to the most important lesson of the trip:
6. Comrades inspires like nothing I’ve ever seen
It is well documented that Comrades brings out the human spirit like no other event in South Africa.
It’s a fact – I’m sure we have all seen all the emotions on the telly.
I am so grateful that I could go back to the race again and experience those feelings of hope, friendship and motivation once more.
The scenes during the race, and particularly during “Hero’s Hour” (the time between 11 hours and the 12-hour cut-off) give you goose bumps.
The incredible people who run the race, make it the respected event that it is.
From the backwards-running rasta Farai Chinomwe, who runs to heighten awareness around the depleting bee populations, or Eric Nefdt from Pretoria, who completed the Comrades in a Spiderman costume to increase awareness around Congenital Heart Defects (CHDs) in children.
READ his story here: https://rekordeast.co.za/135381/east-spiderman-completes-comrades/
Shame, it was absolutely heartbreaking to have seen some of my friends and others fall out of the race and looking as happy as those people who work at the toll gates.
Hats off to you for having the coconuts to take it on though.
On the other side of the coin, seeing friends achieving their dreams after so much time, effort and commitment has been put in is the ultimate satisfaction for me, obviously even more so for them.
Like Benonian Comrades Marathon down run record holder Frith van der Merwe told us: “Training for Comrades is a lifestyle.”
https://www.citizen.co.za/benoni-city-times/296877/frith-van-der-merwe-talks-comrades-benoni-lg_keved/
I put my foot in my mouth in my Comrades blog last year, saying that I’d give it a bash one day in the future.
Now people are putting pressure on me to run next year’s down run.
What’s that word that starts with an S and ends with a T?
Gulp!
I guess I’ll see you guys out on the road!
LG
ALSO READ:
https://www.citizen.co.za/benoni-city-times/297040/lg_keved-comrades-diary-entry-3-ballito-durban-back/
https://www.citizen.co.za/benoni-city-times/289578/blog-lgs-z-south-african-road-trip/
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Also READ:
Benonians dominate the Comrades down run
