Comrades Supplement Comrades Training and Info Guide, January 2014 | Page 6

INSPIRATION

Hard is what
Makes it Great
F

or the early Comrades runners, the
event was more than just a race, it was an
adventure. Getting from Pietermaritzburg to
Durban (or the other way round in alternate
years) was one thing, but just getting to
the start was already a big undertaking for
some, such as Felix Henriksen in 1928. He
rode his motorcycle approximately 1600km
from Rhodesia to Durban so he could run
the race, and had to fix 32 punctures enroute! Henriksen also had an uncanny ability
to attract snakes, and thus always travelled
with a snake-bite medical kit. During one
forced stop he was almost bitten by a puffadder, but made it safely to the start, and
still managed to finish third!
Then, having started the race, many
Comrades runners have had to grit their
teeth and keep plodding in order to finish,
but some are prepared to push themselves
still further. Max Trimborn and R. Beisner
had to pick themselves up off the tar in
1935 after being hit by cars. Both finished.
Reg Allison missed breaking the Down
record by a mere 76 seconds in 1949 after
stopping to dress severe blisters. And Jackie
Mekler won the second of his five victories in
1960, despite a painfully gashed leg, caused
by the lead motorcycle flipping a board up
while crossing a ditch. It hit Mekler and cut
his leg open, but he carried on, seemingly
oblivious to the pain, and still broke the Up
course record.
John Ballington, younger brother of fivetime winner Hardy, entered in 1949, but
struggled and decided to quit halfway.
However, Hardy, who was seconding his
brother, told him that “No Ballington has

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Comrades Supplement 2014

retired yet. If you do, you change your
name to something else. Finish and
you’re still a Ballington.’’ Needless to say,
Ballington Junior did not have to apply
for a new identification document. Ray
Molver had a similar experience in 1966,
when he too wanted to bail. He climbed
into his attendants’ car at Botha’s Hill,
and begged them to drive him the rest
of the way. After half an hour of arguing,
Molver was back on the road, and
eventually finished 99th.
And having finished the race, for some
the day was not yet over: In 1921 Llyn
Mitcalfe literally took things a step
further, because after completing the
race, he still had to jog home. A mere
38km later he was finally able to put his
feet up. Some say that the run home was
probably quite pleasant, as he ran in the
dark, when it was much cooler…

was Edgar Marie, who entered once
again in 1947, then aged 60, and was
asked to produce a doctor’s certificate
before the organisers would approve
his entry, because it was feared that his
heart would not be able to cope with
the extra stress. Marie not only finished
the race within the cut-off, but still ran
two laps of the stadium to prove there
was nothing wrong with his heart! In
fact, he went on to run many more

In 1921 Llyn Mitcalfe
literally took things a
step further, because
after completing the
race, he still had to jog
home.

Young and Old
J.L. Templeton finished the race in 1922
at the age of only 16, and remains the
youngest official finisher. The organisers
introduced a minimum age restriction of
18 soon thereafter. However, the energy
of youth was not always enough. One
of the younger runners summed up
the difficulty of the race in 1924. While
stopping for a much-needed leg massage
during the race, he told his attendants
that he still had to go to a dance that
evening, as he had accepted an invitation
to accompany a young lady, but now only
felt like finding a bed and going to sleep.
On the opposite end of the age scale

Reg Allison
wins in 1949
despite severe
blisters.

Images:CMA

The Comrades Marathon of today is a big, big challenge, but with
the right training and mental preparation, it is a manageable event
for most runners. That said, spare a thought for the early pioneers
of this great race, who really had to go the ‘extra mile’ to get to the
finish – and sometimes even further. – BY SEAN FALCONER