Glen Hills resident reflects on history making Comrades run
Northglen News speaks to David Williams who completed his 42nd Comrades Marathon this year.
WHEN it comes to Durban North resident David Williams’ Comrades Marathon journey, the records speak for themselves:
42 Comrades Marathons completed; 42 medals (one silver, 32 bronze and nine Vic Clapham); the joint most completed Comrades within the Savages Athletics Club (with the late Clive Crawley), and now, 11th on the list of most Comrades Marathons completed ever.
Incredibly, Williams has run every Comrades since 1975, however, he did not finish the race on five occasions.
His late outing, in 2019, saw him finish 22 minutes outside the cutoff time, however, that did not curb his enthusiasm nor his determination to reach the milestone.
Williams said his training regimen this year was one of the reasons he eased into the finish line at Moses Mabhida Stadium with 17 minutes to spare before the cut-off.
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“The programme I followed and the preparation for this year’s down run really contributed to me finishing the race. I did experience a bit of cramping and twinges, but never in the same place twice, but I ran through it. From about the Hillcrest mark, I picked up the pace a little, and I was getting through the checkpoints with plenty of time to spare. There was no pressure which made a huge difference in terms of how you feel on the day.
“I knew that I was well-in as I got onto Masabalala Yengwa Avenue with the stadium in sight. I knew I wasn’t going to get another medal if I ran faster so I cruised into the final stretch. In fact, I had a great chat with another runner, and we crossed the finish line together. I’m not too much of an emotional man, but I felt a sense of pride in that I achieved what I wanted to. No one knows that my last medal was in 2015, but quietly knowing that and how far I’d come was really special,” he said.
When asked if he has thought about entering next year’s Ultimate Human Race, Williams replied that it was likely.
“I have thought about next year, and it’s likely I will return. I’ve realised what I need to do and how I need to structure my training. It will be interesting to see what Athletics South Africa (ASA) and the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) agree upon in terms of what the date will be. I understand an announcement will be made later this month, and I believe it will be another down run which would be great,” he said.
Whatever the date, whether the race will be an up or down run, one thing is for certain, Williams has etched his name into Comrades history.
