Hillcrest runner aims for ninth silver medal
After running his first Comrades Marathon, Warren Kidgell swore to never do it again. Fast forward to 2024, the Hillcrest resident looks forward to running his 12th ultimate human race.
WARREN Kidgell ran his first Comrades Marathon in 2003 – when he reached the finish line, he sat down, opened his beer, lit his cigarette and swore to never do it again.
After a few years, he decided to try again.
“This was in 2010. I had just turned 30, and it was also because of a bit of weight issue that I decided to try, and this time, I had quit smoking.”
Also read: Comrades runner’s pink hair attracts fans
Fast forward to 2024, and the Hillcrest resident will be running his 12th Comrades and has earned eight silver medals.
With the last Up Run completed in 2019, he stressed that this race was going to be challenging, especially the first 36km.
“What I am aiming for is to finish in respectable time, but I will be a lot slower than the 6 hours and 28 minutes I ran for the last Up Run. I am, however, still aiming to run inside the 7 hours and 30 minutes silver-medal cut-off.
“Runners in KZN are fortunate as they can train on the route. We have to take a different approach when tackling the Up Run,” he said, adding that this will be the shortest Comrades in the history with 85.9km to run.
Being a former chairman of the Hillcrest Villagers, Kidgell said he has been part of the club for 10 years and served in the committee for five years.
“I joined the club when I returned from England as I lived there for a few years.”
He said he appreciated working in the committee, which has a beautiful history, and they host an annual race which is one of the Comrades qualifiers.
Also read:Â Comrades Marathon Association shares best spectator spots to catch the action
In school, Kidgell said he did run a few cross country events, but that was about it.
“I picked up running up later in life. It took a long time of dedication, and I enjoy it. I train six to seven times a week.”
Kidgell is an accountant by profession with running as a hobby. He is also a loving husband and a proud father to three boys.
For more from the Highway Mail, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok
