Comrades 2014

Izoard

Anyone in?

opus

Izoard wrote: »

Anyone in?

Yup! After been cooked in the 'Up' run last year, just had to go back to see what's it's like for the other direction & in more normal temperatures. Just the one chance to pick up the 'back-to-back' medal as well.

Izoard

opus wrote: »

Yup! After been cooked in the 'Up' run last year, just had to go back to see what's it's like for the other direction & in more normal temperatures. Just the one chance to pick up the 'back-to-back' medal as well.

Great! - chucked in an application just before the close date.

Now to negotiate the free pass...:)

opus

Flights & hotel booked today via expedia, met a few Irish people there last year so going to stay at the same hotel (Protea) as them in Umhlanga, a seaside resort along the coast from Durban. Will mean an almighty early start to get to Maritzberg on the Sunday morning but it's not like I'd be getting too much sleep the night before Comrades anyway

Izoard

opus wrote: »

Flights & hotel booked today via expedia, met a few Irish people there last year so going to stay at the same hotel (Protea) as them in Umhlanga, a seaside resort along the coast from Durban. Will mean an almighty early start to get to Maritzberg on the Sunday morning but it's not like I'd be getting too much sleep the night before Comrades anyway

Great stuff!

I mailed the organizers who said buses are laid on from Durban on the morning...do you know if these are reliable, or you need to make your own plans?

opus

Izoard wrote: »

I mailed the organizers who said buses are laid on from Durban on the morning...do you know if these are reliable, or you need to make your own plans?

Don't know tbh, there was a minibus from the hotel to close to the start area last year & as I'd some supporters along with a hire-car they met me afterwards so didn't use any of the 'official' buses apart from the course tour on the Sat (which I'd highly recommend btw).

Pretty sure it will be ok as they've had plenty practise of running it now

opus

Where did that time go, it's almost here :eek:

How're you set for the big day?

Izoard

Can't believe it is almost here.

Planning to do the 50k in Stapelstown on Sat, as I've done very little since the Barcelona Marathon.

Flying to Joburg on the Tuesday and on to Durban on the Friday.

opus

Izoard wrote: »

Can't believe it is almost here.

Planning to do the 50k in Stapelstown on Sat, as I've done very little since the Barcelona Marathon.

Flying to Joburg on the Tuesday and on to Durban on the Friday.

If the flight is at 8am then that's the same one I'm on as I'm leaving Ireland on Thur afternoon!

May bank holiday w/end was my last real bit of training with a half on the Sat & a marathon on the Sun, taking it relatively easy now. Best of luck in Stapelstown.

I know someone else who's running the Newry marathon on May 25th as their final training run, now that's cutting it fine :eek:

Bwlow is the last bit of advice from the Irish Comrades ambassador earlier this week. I like the fact that despite it being called the 'down' run, the down bit doesn't start 'til you've already travelled 50k of hills

The down run first marathon is quite a hilly affair and best to run this section at ease without too much stress!

From Drummond at half way through the next 8 kms is the toughest part of the course for me and save the legs until 35km to go. At this point if you are still running well the down section into Durban with maybe three hills in between provide a great basis to climb through the field by just running consistently.

Keep well hydrated and legs cool during the second half and cap and glasses also help the focus and minimise the heat and sun impact from half way.

Izoard

Jaysus, I really have no idea what is ahead of me.

However, 90km in 12 hrs, sounds just about doable...:)

Itziger

Looking forward to the reports already. Opus did a fine one last year.

Something tells me Izoard might have a tale or two to recount after this year's event!

Good luck to the two of ye.

Enduro

Best of luck lads. Hope you both have a great race and an enjoyable experience.

belcarra

Enduro wrote: »

Best of luck lads. Hope you both have a great race and an enjoyable experience.

Have you tried Comrades yet Eoin? I'm sure if not it must be on the bucket list...?

Enduro

belcarra wrote: »

Have you tried Comrades yet Eoin? I'm sure if not it must be on the bucket list...?

Not yet. Definitely on the long-list. (although the longer I leave it, the less competitive I'll be!)

opus

Saw elsewhere that they've started putting up the route signs!



I cut one off a pole the following day & stuffed it into my rucksack last year to bring back as a souvenir

Izoard

Done. Incredible event.

Congrats to opus on an unbelievable time - the mind boggles.

Race report here.

opus

Great stuff on finishing it! It's some mad experience for sure Youtube clip below is some of the build-up to the start, I was standing near the banner as far as I remember.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PJD6gnTvfs

The 'down' run definitely has longer lasting effects, parts of me are still sore!

Was staying in the same hotel as another Irish guy who I met last year, he collected his 5th medal at the weekend. Was his 60th b'day as well this year and I suspect he'll be back for more next year again, sure he's only five away from the green number status. What a present for his 65th birthday!

I had a really cool pace band that I found on the web that broke everything down into 5k segments but stupidly lost it somewhere on the way to Pietermaritzburg. To cut a long story short I went a bit too quick in the first half & paid the normal price later! Was happy that I was able to turn things around a bit in the last 8k and pick up the pace a small bit.

Goal was ~8:15 & ended up ~8:27:30 so happy enough with that.

Question now is when/if I'll be back for more.....

opus

A few funny things I spotted walking around the weekend before the race. I'm certain that had I gotten the 'Cocktail Injection' (whatever that is!), wrapped myself in the 'Magic Tape' & thrown back a few shots of the wonder fruit, a silver medal would easily have been mine for the taking

opus

I'll just leave this here

opus

Friend of mine sent me this video on the event, not bad as sponsor's videos go I thought....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fz2FtwTJ_eY

Itziger

I can feel Belcarra's desire to do this race from a 1,000 miles away!

belcarra

Itziger wrote: »

I can feel Belcarra's desire to do this race from a 1,000 miles away!

I was seriously tempted in 2013 but opted out.
Some year though...!

opus

I'm heading back again next year for the up run as a friend of mine is planning to run it & think it would be bad manners for me not to accompany her seeing as I played a big part in selling her the idea!

opus

I've committed for next year!

opus

Friend sent this onto me asking if I recognised anyone! I'm in there round about the 1:20 to 1:30 mark but don't let that put you off watching the video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOJ97g9ohrI

opus

Anyone from these parts running in Comrades over the June w/end?

Put the route map up over my desk last week so everytime I look up I can eyeball it

Killerz

opus wrote: »

Anyone from these parts running in Comrades over the June w/end?

Put the route map up over my desk last week so everytime I look up I can eyeball it

I'm not too sure if they still have active accounts on boards but Phonehead and horanc are both doing it this year.

Best of luck with it.

Izoard

Best of luck opus - you made the down look easy last year, all the best for the up.

opus

As always a fantastic event with simply amazing atmosphere! Found it slightly fustrating as I ran the first half a little fast which proved pretty much what I've read - "for every min you go through half way ahead of schedule you'll lose 4 mins in the second half!"

Still I eked out a modicum of improvement over my last 'up' run, ~6 mins quicker on a route that was ~800m longer due to road works or something so no complaints

In hindsight I was probably a bit greedy going for (& getting!) both 10k & 5k pb's in the week before the run but figured it would be nice to get something extra out of all the running since Jan.

Was great to get to meet Bruce Fordyce at the 'after-party' on the Monday along with some of the Comrades ambassadors that I've only known from emails. Also headed along to the Umhlanga Parkrun on the Sat morning which was loaded with Comrades runners.

Fairly high number of people who didn't make the finish line this year -

Of the 16993 starters, 13006 finished the race.

Heard one of the 12h buses missed one of the later cutoff points and got stopped, that would have accounted for probably several hundred of the non-finishers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFjssNLgvFk

Anyway that's it 'til next year???

Izoard

opus wrote: »

Heard one of the 12h buses missed one of the later cutoff points and got stopped, that would have accounted for probably several hundred of the non-finishers.

Ouch, epic pacer fail...!


Anyways, easier or harder than last year?


Fantastic job as ever...you make it sound like a stroll in the park!

opus

Izoard wrote: »

Anyways, easier or harder than last year?


Fantastic job as ever...you make it sound like a stroll in the park!

Think the up-run is tougher tbh although neither is a stroll in the park

The reason is that first marathon distance really wears you down, it's got three of the big five hills but thing is even to get to them you're heading up up up! This is the elevation profile from my garmin which kind of shows what I mean although obviously the scale distorts it a bit i.e. you're not running up a cliff!