Right now you’re either considering entering the 2017 Comrades Marathon Up Run or have entered and you’re probably wondering how you are going to piece this whole thing together.
It’s pretty daunting running a race that is 50 odd miles when everything about it is familiar. It’s terrifying when you don’t really have a clue what you’re getting yourself into. Over the next 8 months you are going to have to do the work mostly on your own (because who is actually crazy enough to run further than a marathon?).
You are going to feel overwhelmed. At times you are going to doubt yourself and your ability to actually do this. I’m here to tell you those feelings are normal. You are going to need help and I want be the one to guide you on this incredible journey.
I’ve been fortunate enough to have helped thousands of people get their Comrades medals in my role as the Official Comrades Marathon Coach for almost a decade. I’ve coached athletes that have gone on to win the race and I’ve coached athletes that have won their own race simply by making it to the start line of the Comrades Marathon.
Over the last few weeks I asked literally hundreds of international Comrades Runners what were the things they wish they knew or had done differently before their first Comrades. This is what they shared with me.
“Quite simply a bucket list A grade for most runners of all walks and sizes. The African location just makes it that much more magical”
Ian Bailey – Comrades Ambassador for Ireland
As a kid I remember my Dad and his friends telling stories about the race. As an adult I now have my own stories to tell about it. My wife has run it. My best friends have run it. It is part of who I am.
The Comrades Marathon is a life changing experience and I am not saying that just paying lip service to a race that has been part of my life for as long as I can remember.
I know I am biased, but the Comrades Marathon is the single greatest footrace that you can do can do anywhere in the world. It has the atmosphere of a big city marathon, most of the time you get beautiful weather but it is tough as nails and it is probably the only run in the world where you get the same satisfaction whether you cross the finish line first or last.
There is not a better race in the world. I’ve raced the big city marathons. It’s a unique physical, mental and physiological challenge while at the same time it is really an emotionally uplifting experience.
“Comrades is a race you just have to be at to experience first-hand. It’s about the journey and digging deep that makes the destination so worthwhile, and the best thing about all of this is that you’re surrounded by the most wonderful runners that constantly help you get to your destination”
David Ross – Comrades Ambassador for the United Kingdom
Comrades tougher than you can imagine. Much tougher.
If there is only one thing you do in preparation for the Comrades Marathon, it is this: Prepare yourself for long climbs. In everything I do I try and impress on people how tough this course is but it is hard to tell people how hard it is. You’ll only really understand how hard it is until you’ve run it.
“The undulating course whether an ‘Up’ or ‘Down’ run can only be felt when one runs the race as the route profile cannot justify how tough it is”
Frank Chong – Comrades Ambassador for Malaysia
It is important to know that the hills aren’t that steep, we’re talking about average gradient of between 3 and 3.5% but they’re long. Very long. There are climbs that are 3 kilometres long. There are climbs that are 6kms long and many more in between.
Everyone talks about the Big 5 of the comrades up run. Cowies Hill, Fields Hill, Botha’s Hill, Inchanga and the infamous Polly Shorts.
They are known as the Big 5 for a reason. They’re big. They are however not known as the Only 5 and that is something very important to take note of. There are tough climbs in Comrades that don’t even have names.
When you add up all the actual kilometres that you will be going uphill during the race, they make up more than a third of the 86 kilometres you’ll be running and that is why it is such a tough, physical challenge.
The best way to prepare yourself for Comrades is to do loads of hill climbing. You’ve got to incorporate hills into your long runs and find tough routes to train on to prepare yourself both mentally and physically.
What can you do to get stronger?
Strength training is always going to help your running anyway and doing extra strength training for the Comrades Marathon up run will be beneficial. The stronger your quads and glutes are the better you are going to climb. If, however, you live in a flat area, then you are going to have to use a treadmill to do some hill work.
In order to improve your strength, focus on things like leg presses, step ups onto a bench, squats and maybe some lunges once you’re quite advanced and a fair way into your training program. The strength work you do needs to target your quads and your glutes.
Comrades gets hot
One of the things that pops up time and time again when I speak to international runners is the issue of heat. Even though the Comrades Marathon is run in the middle of winter in South Africa, Durban is tropical.
It is not uncommon to have temperatures of between 20 and 24 degrees Celsius (68 – 75 Fahrenheit) on raced day. It can also get quite humid which adds to the discomfort.
There are a couple of things, depending on where you live, that you can do to prepare yourself for the heat and humidity on race day.
If you’re fortunate enough to have parts of your day that are pretty warm, then do a couple of runs per week in those pockets. You don’t want to do it every training session because running in the heat also takes a lot of energy and takes time to recover. Running 2 sessions a week when it is hot is a great way to do it.
If you live somewhere where it is particularly cold then chances are you are going to be doing a bit of training on a treadmill anyway, so the best way would be to crank up the heating a little bit in the room you’re training in.
Get yourself into a tracksuit to get your body temperature up. You do need to monitor yourself and not be silly about it. If you are used running in temperatures of between 10 -14 degrees Centigrade, then you don’t want to turn the heating in the room up to 34 degrees, boil the kettle to increase humidity and wear two tracksuits.
What you do want to do is get the room temperature up to just over 20 and/or run in a tracksuit. The key is to only do this once or twice a week so that you can prepare your body for when you need to run in those same conditions.
“Learn how to hydrate your body. This is the most crucial element of the Comrades Marathon”
Hans Koeleman – Comrades Ambassador for The Netherlands
Keeping yourself cool at Comrades is vital
On race day you are also going to have to try and keep yourself cool. It is however a bit of a balancing act. You want to keep yourself wet enough to keep your body temperature down, but while doing so keeping your shoes dry enough that you don’t tear your feet up with blisters.
It is also important to know that your body will also absorb fluids differently when it is very hot versus when it is very cold. You may or may not need more fluids when it is very hot as opposed to when it is very cold.
The second advantage you get when you do some of your training sessions, and perhaps one or two of your longer training sessions, in 24 degrees and 60% humidity is that you get a fair indication of how your body reacts under warm conditions. You are able to get an idea of how much more fluid you drink, or feel you need, and then you are also able to experiment with ways to keep yourself cool.
On race day you can keep yourself cool in a number of ways. Using an Ice necklace will help, but carrying a sponge can also be beneficial. The water in the troughs at the aid/refreshment stations that is used to keep the drinks cool on race day, is ice water.
If you’re running with a sponge, you can obviously dunk it in there and fill it up with really cold water and keep your neck and forehead really cool.
The hydration balancing act
It is also important to note on race day that you don’t want to be pummeling yourself with fluids just because you know it’s hot and humid. Over hydration is something you need to avoid at all costs and if you drink too much you can get yourself into a whole lot of trouble. Because of the heat, your thirst drive will be up and if you are thirsty you are going to drink more than you normally would.
If you have experimented in warm conditions beforehand you will have a better idea of how much fluid then helps you keep that thirst in balance, where you are a little bit thirsty but you’re not on the other side of the equation where you’re never thirsty and your fingers are swelling and you’re drinking yourself into trouble.
If you can do some heat adaptation, that’s going to make a big difference to you on race day. If you can’t, then you really need to come into to South Africa a few days earlier to allow yourself to adapt to the warm and humid climate.
It’s a long way to the Comrades Marathon
The third thing I get asked by our international runners is “when is the best time to arrive before Comrades?”. I know sometimes it is not practical, but in an ideal world, from a pure sleep perspective or time zone adaptation point of view, you want to do a day per hour of time zone difference.
That will allow your mind and body to adapt complete from the time zone difference. Even if you’re flying in from Europe where the time zone difference may only be an hour or two, you still don’t want to only arrive 48 hours before because you have 12 hours of being stuck in an aircraft that you also want to get out of your body.
I would say the bare minimum is 4 days. If you’re coming from a place where there isn’t a time zone issue to factor in, but there is more than 6 hours of flying involves, I would give it 4 days. Additionally, add on a day per time zone change.
Arriving early is not just about adapting to the new sleeping patterns. You also want to acclimatize to the environmental conditions. Typically, if I was advising an elite athlete I would be advising them to be in 7 to 8 days before the race. That would be the ideal time to really settle in and acclimatize to the environmental conditions and adjust to the new time zone.
Hold back on the sightseeing
I would also advise that you don’t do too much sightseeing before race day. You don’t want to spend too much time squashed up in a car. Your short tissue shortens and then when you run on race day you feel uncomfortable. If you’re coming in five to seven days before the event, then great, go and drive the route at least 3 days before but try and make it day 4 or day 5 before race day. If you’re going to do that, then cool. Drive the route, get the mental picture in your head and see what you’re getting yourself in for.
But if for whatever reason you can only get in 2 or 3 days before race day, don’t go and spend a day squashed in a bus or in a car to check out the route. It is important to know what is coming and how hard it is, but not at the expense of you making your body uncomfortable and not being able to run properly on race day.
It is easy to get carried away with all the Comrades sideshows before the race. If you want to give yourself THE BEST possible chance of finishing the Comrades Marathon, avoid them.
The last thing you want to do is spend the 2 or 3 days before the race cramped up in a car or bus for hours, when you’re not cramped up you’re on your feet at the expo or at various events and by the time Saturday afternoon rolls around you’re exhausted.
Comrades will be one of the hardest things you ever do, don’t blow your chances before you’ve even lined up on the start line.
Every international runner’s regret
I’ve interacted with thousands of international runners and I have NEVER had one say to me “I wish I had gone home sooner after the race”. I have however had many, if not most of them, say “I wish I had stayed longer”
You really do want to stick around after Comrades for as long as you can. The first reason is to really experience South Africa. Up the north coast and down the north coast and down the south coast from Durban, you’ve literally got hundreds of kilometres of magnificent beaches and coastline to explore. The Cape is magnificent with lots to see and do (and lots of wine to drink), Johannesburg has its own charm and then don’t forget the wildlife. This may be the only chance you get to see the big 5 in the wild in person.
“South Africa does eco tourism better than anybody else in the world, so why would you travel so far and not take advantage of it?”
Bruce ‘Digger’ Hargreaves – Comrades Marathon Ambassador for Australia
If you get here and you’ve only planned a 4-night stop, you will regret going home early.
And then, very importantly you, will have run 86km over some pretty insane terrain. Your legs are going to be smashed for at least 2 days after the race (Sometimes longer) and if you have to get yourself on and off of airplanes, when you’re in that state, it is not pleasant.
Enjoy Durban, get that stiffness out of your legs and then go and explore the rest of this beautiful country. Go back home, wherever it is you live, refreshed after having achieved something amazing, and also having had some really amazing and beautiful experiences.
Don’t blow your chances of finishing Comrades
It doesn’t matter what country you’re from or how strong your currency is, going to an international race, wherever it is, it is a big financial outlay. The programs on the Comrades website are very generic and great for the general public. They will of course prepare you and most likely will get you over the finish line. But the thing you really want to do is increase your chances of being successful in this race.
I have the experience, not only in terms of coaching, but also having run the race on numerous occasions and now have a team of coaches that I work with so that I can get to more people and give them the individual attention they require.
If you are serious about successfully completing the Comrades Marathon, I want to urge you to consider investing in an individualized program, which takes your lifestyle and work/life situation into account so that you can come to South Africa and be successful.
You can discover more about the various Running Coaching Packages we offer by clicking here or on the button below:
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