Cyclists with a "Running" Problem

[Stretch]

Fair point, and I agree with you (and I'll never run a Comrades!). Just looking for logic, and predicted benefits, based on this year's data, of moving the halfway mats backwards.

 

if a person goes through halfway ten minutes too fast it can in some instances impact their time by 30 minutes or more...but that is someone who has a firm grasp on splits and times which (no offence to h batchers) I am sure not all do - i.e. if they go through ten minutes later they will probably stay at that pace the whole way and still end ten minutes too slow.

 

I have mixed feelings about it - they actually need to trial it - but who would volunteer to run a comrades as a trial!

[Pulse]

although the theory is that if you reduce the pace for the first half then a negative split is possible...but yeah - I also dont think it will work.

 

Myself..I am a also a fan of bringing back the 4:30 qualifying time

 

I think most of them would find it extremely difficult to run negative splits, even if they had an extra 10minutes for the 1st half

[Fat Boab]

if a person goes through halfway ten minutes too fast it can in some instances impact their time by 30 minutes or more...but that is someone who has a firm grasp on splits and times which (no offence to h batchers) I am sure not all do - i.e. if they go through ten minutes later they will probably stay at that pace the whole way and still end ten minutes too slow.

 

I have mixed feelings about it - they actually need to trial it - but who would volunteer to run a comrades as a trial!

 

 

Well hopefully the organisers are making the most of the data available to them and creating some evidence-based hypotheses, rather than doing some cosmetic changes to redress the 10 min through the start 'issue', which may have no basis...

[Stretch]

Well hopefully the organisers are making the most of the data available to them and creating some evidence-based hypotheses, rather than doing some cosmetic changes to redress the 10 min through the start 'issue', which may have no basis...

 

the other thing they are investigating is a dual road start or wider start area - the negative of the dual road start is that you will loose that gees at the beginning because half the field will be a block away - and then there will be a bottle neck where they join. A wider start road would be difficult to find i think

[Pulse]

The Comrades has had a motto of "everyone must run Comrades once in their lives", and "everyone can do it".  This has been linked to an increase in final cut off, and also changes in qualifying times.

 

I believe this has created a false sense of security, in that if you can qualify, you can finish.  Even though I do agree that most 'sporty' people can finish it, I also think there are loads of people who do not commit enough to the training, and hope for a miracle on the day.

 

There used to be a guy at work who has attempted it 6 times, and had one finish.  He's total training (from Jan), including a qualifier, has never been more than 200km; and yet he cannot understand why he cannot finish

Edited June 26, 2017 by Pulse

[Fat Boab]

The Comrades has had a motto of "everyone must run Comrades once in their lives", and "everyone can do it".  This has been liked to an increase in final cut off, and also changes in qualifying times.

 

I believe this has created a false sense of security, in that if you can qualify, you can finish.  Even though I do agree that most 'sporty' people can finis it, I also think there are loads of people who do not commit enough to the training, and hope for a miracle on the day.

 

There used to be a guy at work who has attempted it 6 times, and had one finish.  He's total training (from Jan), including a qualifier, has never been more than 200km; and yet he cannot understand why he cannot finish

 

Probably discussed at length elsewhere, but erosion of standards and sense of expectation permeates many other aspects of modern society, why should an iconic ultra-marathon be any different? Answer: cos it's an iconic ultra-marathon, that's why!

[Stretch]

The Comrades has had a motto of "everyone must run Comrades once in their lives", and "everyone can do it".  This has been linked to an increase in final cut off, and also changes in qualifying times.

 

I believe this has created a false sense of security, in that if you can qualify, you can finish.  Even though I do agree that most 'sporty' people can finish it, I also think there are loads of people who do not commit enough to the training, and hope for a miracle on the day.

 

There used to be a guy at work who has attempted it 6 times, and had one finish.  He's total training (from Jan), including a qualifier, has never been more than 200km; and yet he cannot understand why he cannot finish

 

i hope you told him he is an idiot. most people do more than that in one month.

 

on the converse..I was chatting to someone yesterday (27 medals) who has pulled out twice with ten k's to go because he realised he wasnt going to make 11 hours and didn't want a vic clapham medal 

[Pulse]

i hope you told him he is an idiot. most people do more than that in one month.

 

on the converse..I was chatting to someone yesterday (27 medals) who has pulled out twice with ten k's to go because he realised he wasnt going to make 11 hours and didn't want a vic clapham medal 

 

Sooooo many times, and not just me.  Sad thing is he used to be the chairperson of one of the local clubs.

 

Lost of the older guys still see the 11hours as the 'real' cut off

[Fat Boab]

Sooooo many times, and not just me.  Sad thing is he used to be the chairperson of one of the local clubs.

 

Lost of the older guys still see the 11hours as the 'real' cut off

 

Without wishing to open a can of worms, can I ask what the rationale was in increasing the cut-off from 11 to 12 hours?

[Reegan]

i hope you told him he is an idiot. most people do more than that in one month.

 

on the converse..I was chatting to someone yesterday (27 medals) who has pulled out twice with ten k's to go because he realised he wasnt going to make 11 hours and didn't want a vic clapham medal 

A guy from our sister club qualified B batch for his 15th run this year and pulled out on the morning cause he didn't think he'd make his silver and decided it wasn't worth it then   Had double the kays from Jan-June of anyone else I know also!

[Hacc]

I would love to get my hands on the Comrades data. (Part of my day job is to analyze data) The more information you have regarding cut-offs etc. the better you can prepare yourself. 

 

They should actually ask the runners to fill in a small survey when you pick up your race pack. 

Questions like km done for the year, info about injuries etc....

[Pulse]

Without wishing to open a can of worms, can I ask what the rationale was in increasing the cut-off from 11 to 12 hours?

This is going back a while now, but if I remember correctly, it was increased in 2000 for the 75th anniversary of the Comrades.  That is when they started with the whole thing of "everyone can finish it" - I think they had around 23000 runners starting.

 

That is also when they moved the start earlier.

 

I also recall there was a year or two where runners completing under 12 hours also received bronze, before they introduced the Vic Clapham medal

[SeaBee]

Back to the dog discussion: I have a ridgeback which I do not run with regularly enough... If you want another dog MADE for running and obviously at home in our climate, look no further. I waited until she was well developed before starting to run and only on the first run did she confuse it with a walk where she can stop and smell. 

 

My wife and I were talking about her (the dog!) just over the weekend again - the most athletic and proud thing I've ever seen...
Unless it's cold and wet, then she gets downright miserable. Until attention seems to be on the horizon!

[Jurgens Smit]

Back to the dog discussion: I have a ridgeback which I do not run with regularly enough... If you want another dog MADE for running and obviously at home in our climate, look no further. I waited until she was well developed before starting to run and only on the first run did she confuse it with a walk where she can stop and smell. 

 

My wife and I were talking about her (the dog!) just over the weekend again - the most athletic and proud thing I've ever seen...

Unless it's cold and wet, then she gets downright miserable. Until attention seems to be on the horizon!

 

I love my ridgeback, we had a scare with her getting a tumor the size of a grapefruit removed from her stomach. So i've been easing her back into fitness. Taking her on my cooldown walk around the block etc.

 

They're really incredible dogs. Ours is trained to hunt as well and we've used her a few times when we go and they just handle heat and running for long incredibly well.

[Stretch]

This is going back a while now, but if I remember correctly, it was increased in 2000 for the 75th anniversary of the Comrades.  That is when they started with the whole thing of "everyone can finish it" - I think they had around 23000 runners starting.

 

That is also when they moved the start earlier.

 

I also recall there was a year or two where runners completing under 12 hours also received bronze, before they introduced the Vic Clapham medal

 

correct - also the first year they finished at the ghastly race track

[ScottCM]

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