Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 110, September 2018 | Page 32

THE RUNNING

MANN

By Stuart Mann

I BLAME PHUTI !

Some weeks back I was all set for my ninth Comrades , and I wasn ’ t planning to conclude my Comrades taper with my first adventure race . I was planning to be a sensible ultra marathon runner ! But then Phuti replied to my tweet …
religion , soft-spoken and mild-mannered , but when that gun fires the red mist comes down and his competitive side brutally erupts . David showed Batch H his immaculate sack-racing skills , powering to the front and demolishing all those who got in his way . If I was going to get injured during the JURA , I didn ’ t want it to be at the first challenge , so I was more dainty in my approach – but I did make a mental note that David would be a good shopping companion for future Black Friday sales !

In Mid-May I was invited to do the Media Pre-run of the Jozi Urban Run Adventure , or JURA , as it is known , and I then posted a few of my photos on Twitter – and this is where Phuti comes in . Her seemingly innocuous reply to my Tweet , “ These are the kind of things that I will be doing after Comrades ,” was the gentle nudge that disturbed the delicate balance in my prefrontal cortex .

One thing you should know about many Comrades runners is that they love to finish Comrades , and talk about Comrades , but it ’ s only the masochists and psychotically challenged who actually love running the damn thing ! So , the week before Comrades , you are a bundle of nerves , violently oscillating between excitement and dread , and many Comrades runners secretly hope for a valid excuse to avoid 12 hours of pain on the second Sunday in June .
I won ’ t deny some part of me thought that if I broke an ankle or fell on my head at the JURA , I would be able to escape my annual bout of Comrades anguish and mental torture , so there may be a myriad of deeprooted subconscious psychological reasons for doing my first adventure race the week before Comrades – but it ’ s simpler to just blame Phuti !
Comrades Mentality
When it comes to tapering for Comrades , I normally go cold turkey , but this year I was trying to be more diligent to prevent my muscles from going into atrophy . I wanted to run about 18-20km to round off my training , and the JURA has 6km and 12km options . I therefore went for the 12km option , but this still left me 6km short . Fortunately I have an old school friend , David , who lives 3km from the start in
Marks Park in Emmarentia , so with a 3km warm-up and warm-down , he was the logical choice to join me on this adventure .
Some people will tell you that it ’ s very easy to know if someone has run Comrades – because they ’ ll tell you . This is a terrible stereotype , because many of us are far too modest to go around bragging about running the greatest ultra on the planet . No , we use more subtle methods to show off our accomplishments … like a puffed-up chest inside a Comrades race shirt . This made the choice of attire for my first adventure race easy – the only complication was which Comrades shirt to wear . I eventually decided on the understated luminous orange 2015 edition , but not wanting to rub it in the faces of the recreational runners , I went for a neutral cap .
The Red Mist
To prevent congestion on the route , there are batch starts , and we ’ d been slotted into Batch H for an 8:40am start – perfect for a bit of lie-in , and also provided the sun with enough time to take the chill out of the winter air . David and I watched a few batches set off with a sack race before disappearing into the Johannesburg wilderness , while a couple of announcers , cheer leaders and dancers made for a vibey and entertaining atmosphere at the start .
Soon enough it was our turn and we lined up at the back of our batch . David is a man of integrity and
The entire course is urban trail along the Braamfontein Spruit . If you want to see the natural beauty of Johannesburg – no , that ’ s not an oxymoron – this is the best way to do it . There are also quite a few inflatable obstacles , which proved to be very entertaining , but we both have young daughters , and with that comes significant “ jumping castle ” experience , so we bounced over these obstacles with ease . I was also grateful for an opportunity to rest my feet for a short while as I crossed the monkey bars .
Fit and Ready
And after all that , the good news for my Comrades medal count ( and bad news for my legs ) was that I didn ’ t manage to get injured , and therefore had to join 20,000 other idiots at the Comrades start line the following Sunday .
ABOUT THE AUTHOR : Stuart ’ s lifetime goal is to attract a beer sponsor with his running blogs , but he will settle for a travel sponsor so that he can run more races and share their stories . Read his full blogs at http :// runningmann . co . za , and follow him @ runningmann100 .
Images : Jetline Action Photo & courtesy Stuart Mann
32 ISSUE 110 SEPTEMBER 2018 / www . modernathlete . co . za