Comrades Supplement Comrades Training and Info Guide, January 2016 | Page 10

My Story

Humbled by 29,
READY FOR 30
My 29th Comrades took me four hours and 58 minutes longer
than number 10 exactly 22 years previously, and it was a
close thing, but I know I’ve got one more in me. – BY TILDA
TEARLE, 1993 WOMEN’S WINNER

L

eading up to Comrades 2015, Savages
clubmate (and then 40-time finisher)
Dave Williams and I had challenged
each other to “a best of three,”
comprising the Hillcrest Marathon,
Maritzburg City Marathon and Comrades. I gave
Dave the ‘handshake’ at Hillcrest, but couldn’t
catch him at Maritzburg, so Comrades would be
the big decider. I warned him that I believed it
would be “beauty before age!”
On the morning, I had arranged to meet training
partner Stephan Bruwer outside the Royal Hotel
at 5am, as we planned to start together in E
batch, but when we got to the pen it was full.
Not only full of E’s, but full of F’s and G’s! We
eventually squeezed our way in, the Anthem and
Chariots of Fire played, the cock crowed and we
were off. We took about five minutes to cross the
start line – I know because I wore a watch, as
I did not want to make the same mistakes as in
2013’s Up Run, which found me unable to finish
and admitted to hospital. This year I needed to
conquer the ‘up swine’ one last time!
Stephan left me around 45th cutting, but fellow
Savage Robbie Richey had asked me where I was
going to run, as he wanted to run with me, and
I told him to look for me on the left hand side of
the road. Sure as nuts, when it got light he found
me! We ran together, with him yakking away and
often asking the time, but I had not sighted Dave,
and I presumed he was behind me. In Kloof I
almost missed my friend Zoe Buchan, but just

managed to catch the bank bag with sustenance
that she threw to me. In Hillcrest I saw my sister,
who has done what she calls “road duty” for
29 years! After I passed her, phone calls were
exchanged between her and our mother.

Mother to sister: “How is she looking?”
Sister to mother: “Like a 55-year-old
woman trying to run Comrades!”

PLOUGHING ON

After Hillcrest Robbie and I were climbing Bothas
and who did we spot? Dave Williams. The old
bugger had been in front of me all the way! Well,
I found a bit of extra spring and much to his
dismay, ran past him, as he said, “but you can’t
pass me this early!” We got to Heidi’s together
and had a chat with the Regents runners, I
reported that all was good and my friend Mandy
phoned hubby Clive to tell him the news. Dave

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Comrades Training & Information Guide 2016

and I parted ways after this, but Robbie and I
were still together.
I had planned on going through halfway in 5:20,
but my watch said 5:36, which meant a Clapham
was definitely on the cards. My legs were fine
and I still felt good, but at about 60km I started
feeling nauseous. I got to the Savages tent
at Camperdown, drank my mineral water and