Thought I was the only one thinking that [emoji23]. I was one of the stupid okes that entered his first Comrades without even having run a marathon yet. Done the Cape Town Marathon, Winelands Marathon, Peninsula Marathon and then Oceans followed by the Comrades Up run. After each of those marathons and especially Oceans I told myself this is ridiculous there’s no way I could ever finish Comrades. I felt so crap that I was convinced it was going to be a stuff up. Woke up a month before Comrades and realised that I had no accommodation and no flights booked. Ended up driving to Durban from Cape Town arriving there the Friday morning, went straight to the expo and then to our Airbnb accommodation. I had the most horrible build up to Comrades, didn’t taper properly because I had this idea in my head that I wouldn’t make it to there. Stood in my seeding pen and thought, meh is this all it’s about? I’ve seen stories of okes crying when Chariots of Fire was played and there I stood dry eyed thinking to myself this is just another race what’s all the commotion about? Yet after 10h and 54 minutes of running and walking, going through stages where I thought I was hallucinating, meeting my wife halfway telling her that’s it I was quitting I finally entered the Scottsville racecourse. Looking up and seeing my wife standing there and then seeing the finish line in sight was it for me, I started bawling my eyes out [emoji23]. Looking back, yes I could have waited a year and gone into it better prepared. Would I have changed it? No ways. Comrades changes you and every runner should do it at least once to experience it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
