OPINION: The joy, pain and sadness of Comrades 2022

There was joy, happiness, pain, sadness, relief and ecstasy … the Comrades marathon again had it all.

The 2022 edition – the 95^th running – returned with a bang on Sunday. After a two-year absence because of the pandemic, the ultra-marathon hosted nearly 16,000 runners in KZN and millions of others watched on television, all completely engaged in what is called “the ultimate human race”.

From before 5am on Sunday until after 6pm – and well into Monday – runners, family and friends tracked participants as they navigated and battled through pain and hardship for 90km from Pietermaritzburg to Durban in this year’s ‘down’ run.

There were the usual stories, like always. There was my old school friend Gerhard Beukes who did not only complete the Comrades for the umpteenth time, but he pushed a disabled lady in a wheelchair all the way in aid of the Chaeli Campaign, while UK visitor Claudia Burroughs also finished the race in a wheelchair, on her own. How she managed up those hills I don’t know.

There was elite runner Jenna Challenor who cramped so badly at the end she had to crawl over the finish line. An elite runner!

There was the man in the tunnel of Moses Mabhida Stadium, 200m from the end, who just couldn’t go any further. His legs were gone, no matter how hard he tried to stand up to finish and collect his medal, he had nothing left to give.

And then there was men’s winner Tete Dijane, who worked crazy hours and slept little to train for his title-winning run.

Sadly, news has emerged in the last two days that two runners also left us — Mzamo Mthembu and Phakamile Ntshiza, who are both believed to have suffered heart attacks while doing what they love. Our thoughts are with their loved ones.

These are just a few stories of Comrades 2022. There are others, many others of people running for moms and dads, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, or simply to tick a box.

I fell in love with Comrades over four decades ago when my late dad would wake me up at 5.30am, make us coffee and, for the entire day, we’d watch the crazies run 90kms. Nothing has changed. I did exactly that on Sunday, as I do every time Comrades is run. And I know I’m not the only one.

A long time ago I vowed I too would one day run the Comrades. That day is coming closer.