WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL? Those of you who have done that more than once are nuts. That was without doubt the toughest thing I've ever done. I went through some serious dark patches at about 50km and spent the next 37 kays in constant negotiation with myself. Every part of me wanted to quit. Running downhill and flat was no less painful than running uphill, it was only faster. I was behind the clock for a Bill with about 25km to go and I was nearly crying at the realization that I wasn't going to make it but my wife told me to woman up, bite down and keep pushing. We managed to get some really decent km splits heading towards Polly's. Wherever it was flat or downhill we were able to stick in 5 minute kays but at the slightest hint of an uphill there were loud pops and smoke pouring out of my legs as they came to a grinding halt. But we banked enough time for me to run/walk up that godforsaken hill. My wife charged up Polly's and I had to watch her disappear, the legs just had nothing. All I could do was spot a tree and swear through gritted teeth as I ran to it and then enjoy the reward of a short walk. Rinse and repeat. Once over, the adrenalin kicked in as I realized a Bill was still an option and I pushed hard for the finish, eventually catching the first Sub 9 bus on the grass of the final straight and finishing in 8:54 (Jess had smashed sub 5 minute kays the whole way from Polly's and finished well ahead of me. Women are ****** tough!). I will NEVER forget the experience. The idea of seeing that finish line felt like a surreal impossibility for most of that race. The payoff line for Comrades is so perfect; it takes all of you. It took everything I had inside but, more significantly, it took every runner that gave me advice on training or joined me for a run, every supporter that called my name on my Bib, every runner that came past and gave me encouragement, every random person on the side of the road offering their own oranges or water. Without any of those people there's just no way I could have finished. The spirit of the Comrades is finally something I understand. This is a pretty special memory.
