Virtual Comrades hits ground running
Hopefully, next year will be back to normal.
It was a very different Comrades Marathon this year, named the Race the Comrades Legends virtual race.
It was a unique event aimed to inspire all people in every corner of the world whose lives have been disrupted and to create a sense of unity.
There were more than 35 000 entries.
Runners could complete it anywhere but many took to the various South Coast roads.
While runners were scattered all around somehow some of the camaraderie that makes this race so famous still managed to come through.
It’s always a day where heroes emerge, where the greater good of others is placed ahead of one’s own needs.
For example, Deborah Berridge (South Coast Striders), already well-known for the funds she raises for CHOC, ran this year to raise awareness of the needs of little Skylar Meyer, aged 4, who is fighting stage 3 neuroblastoma cancer.
At the moment, she is due to have a blood transfusion but, due to the Covid-19 virus, bloods and platelets are in short supply, so the community is encouraged to donate.
Deborah was one of the few who ran the full 90km, in and around the Shelly Beach and Uvongo area, and then doing laps around the Shelly Centre.
Sihambi Hlophe, of Ugu Athletics Club, was another who finished 90km.
A few years he injured his arm and leg and had to hobble around on crutches with arm and leg in a cast. It was certainly a triumph of his physical determination and mental strength to complete the race.
This was even more so considering they did not have ‘buses’ to slipstream on the way, or the crowds on the side of the road to cheer them on.
Striders captain Mark Smith, Lou Schoeman and Anton Rossouw did the full 90km as well as the 7-day challenge last week. George Cele was another who went the distance, running from Harding to Port Edward. Inika Curnow and Kelly Allan covered the full distance over four days.
Hopefully, next year will be back to normal. Pardon Mathebula probably summed it up best when he said: “It wasn’t the same but it was better than nothing.” Full results are available on the Comrades website.
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