Welcome to another Ask Coach Parry episode. Today we answer Yazeed Emeran’s question. He says he ran is first marathon at the Winelands marathon and qualified for Two Oceans ultra – which will also be his first one he is running, he has entered that already.

He would like to enter the Comrades Marathon of 2015 also. (Entries will have closed by the time this podcast goes live).

He has got a training programme which he has followed which will allow him to finish the ultra, he also has a training programme which will allow him to finish the Comrades Marathon. The two programmes are quite different, he wants to know which one he should follow?
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Brad Brown: Welcome to another Ask Coach Parry episode. Today we answer Yazeed Emeran’s question. He says he ran is first marathon at the Winelands marathon and qualified for Two Oceans ultra – which will also be his first one he is running, he has entered that already.

He would like to enter the Comrades Marathon of 2015 also. (Entries will have closed by the time this podcast goes live).

He has got a training programme which he has followed which will allow him to finish the ultra, he also has a training programme which will allow him to finish the Comrades Marathon. The two programmes are quite different, he wants to know which one he should follow?

What is more important to you, the Comrades Marathon or Two Oceans?

Lindsey Parry: That is actually a fairly easy question for me to answer. It boils down to which of the two races – Two Oceans Ultra or Comrades Marathon – are more important to you.

I am guessing that the two programmes that you have got cater specifically for the one race or the other.

If Two Oceans is a stepping stone to the Comrades Marathon, then I would recommend you follow the Comrades Marathon programme, as it will get you ready to do Two Oceans but not necessarily in the best time that you could do Two Oceans. But it will have you more prepared for the Comrades Marathon.

The converse is true that if you want Two Oceans as your main race, then I would follow the Oceans Ultra programme, because it will be geared specifically to the Two Oceans. Then you will just have to adapt the Comrades Marathon programme slightly after Oceans.

So that you can get yourself to a point where you can complete the Comrades Marathon – but not perhaps in your best time.