Harriers prepare with pasta for Comrades

The Randburg Harriers Running Club is getting ready to send over 180 club members to the 2018 Comrades Marathon on 10 June in Pietermaritzburg.

On 25 May, the Harriers hosted their annual pasta party as a way to celebrate the upcoming event.

Club chairman John Neale said, “The pasta party is a great way to give all of our runners participating in the Comrades this year a great send-off.”

Winner of the Two Oceans Marathon and Comrades Marathon favourite, Gerda Steyn, was invited to be an honorary speaker at the pasta party.

Club member and Comrades Marathon entrant Kim Coutts said, “Gerda gave a great talk about how Comrades is a race that’s bigger than the individual and how special it is. We need to not stress about the little things and don’t forget to enjoy the run.”

At the event, some club members noticed the peculiar socks Steyn was wearing and decided the following morning to host a spontaneous fun run wearing funky socks in Steyn’s honour on 3 June.

Neale said, “The fun run was a great way to prepare for the comrades. It was not serious and kept in the fun spirit of the Comrades.”

This year’s Comrades Marathon presents a bigger challenge for runners as it will be slightly longer than previous years, finishing for the first time at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.

On the route, the club will be providing extensive support for their runners with club tables at approximately 20, 40, and 60km intervals, which will also help other smaller clubs in the Randburg area.

Coutts said, “This is a great time to celebrate as a club in the build-up to this event. There are quite a few novices this year, and we are all excited to travel to the Comrades.”

Neale added, “As a club, we have one of the biggest contingents of members compared to all other clubs across the country. Our members have trained hard for this, and we are looking forward to a great success story.”

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