North Riding resident Will Addison writes:
I have run three Comrades Marathons.
I am as much an avid runner as I was when I first started to lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle in 2017.
South Africans are very blessed with running as there are so many good clubs around and a lot of events that they can enter. A lot of the clubs put in a lot of effort to prepare athletes for big events like the Comrades Marathon.
There is little I feel could change based on my own experience and what I hear from the people who I run socially with.
The high numbers of hospitalisations at this past Comrades [74 people] are a great concern.
From watching the Comrades on TV this year it looked like it was very well prepared and organised.
There is a concern on the number of people who enter comrades vs potentially the number of medics available to help such a large crowd.
When I ran the Comrades Marathon, I was always concerned about the lack of medical personnel vs the number of runners. I only really started seeing more medical personnel towards the end of the race, but the truth is, no one knows if they may have medical issues at 5km or 89km.
I feel that if immediate medical attention could be sought quicker, fewer injuries and hospitalisations could occur.
I think in order to make sure your training is measured successfully to complete Comrades, one needs to run and train with other Comrades Marathon runners.
What I found is that my fellow runners shared some incredible insights that I would never have thought of and realised on race day.
I think following a particular programme which has been drafted by a reputable person is important.
If people don’t follow the path of following a proper programme, then I firmly believe not enough proper training will be done, and you will never estimate what is ahead of you.
You can be the fittest on earth, but unless you know what Comrades is all about and the training needed, I seriously doubt you will finish it.
The next stage in my own life
I have decided to pursue different goals and my current goal is in long-distance swimming. I like to keep life exciting and Comrades was a lovely journey, but it’s time to find new exciting things to do.
The last big run I did was in 2019 whereby I did the Eastbourne Marathon which is located in Sussex, United Kingdom.
This was a massive challenge for me as the whole route was trail, as well as discovering just before the race, it was considered the second- most difficult trail marathon in the United Kingdom.
Challenges I faced were that I was underprepared albeit that I was very fit.
I fought through the whole marathon and finished almost one-and-a-half hours slower than my usual marathon pace. As I had travelled so far to compete I had to use a lot of mental strength to overcome the pain and exhaustion.
Since taking up long-distance swimming, I have taken part in a number of events and the biggest one recently was swimming the Freedom Swim (swimming from Robben Island to Cape Town which is 7.5km) .
In October I will be swimming a 12km swim in Langebaan, Cape Town.
My aim after that is next year I want to swim the False Bay crossing which is 33km.
The year after that I am aiming to take part in crossing the English Channel from England to France.
Related Article:
Randpark Ridge runner overcomes Achilles injury to finish first Comrades
