The roads in Ventersdorp are long and straight , and I spotted my first hare in the distance . I slowly reeled him in and eventually passed him with a friendly greeting and an extra spring in my step , highlighting that I was still ‘ fresh ,’ and that trying to keep up with me would be futile . Then with about 10km to go , I spotted my second hare far off into the distance . The initial burst for glory had taken its toll , and I noticed he was walking the uphills . It ’ s not often that you hope for more hills during the last 10km of a marathon , but this was a unique situation !
I eventually caught up to him , and decided to take my cue from the great Bruce Fordyce . Several years ago , Bruce gave a pre-Comrades talk at my running club and I remembered his “ Mark Page passing strategy ” – now I was finally getting that opportunity to put it into action ! I smoothed down my race number , wiped the sweat from my brow , made sure my posture was perfect and breezed past with a few pleasantries , like “ Isn ’ t it a lovely morning for a marathon ?”
I would have loved to complete the full Fordyce passing repertoire , but had to leave out the “ sting in the tail ” handshake , as this is reserved for when one takes the lead . Unfortunately , the race leader was way ahead of me , finishing around 3:30 versus my solid and spectacularly unimpressive 4:04 . Nevertheless , I stormed back into Ventersdorp and crossed the finish line to the rapturous applause of both race organisers .
Back for Round Two
Afterwards , the drive home gave me a chance to reminisce about my early years as a young and naive ( but reasonably quick ) runner . Everyone dreams of winning a race , but most of us realise that ’ s not going to happen . Still , some of us cling to a secret dream of winning a race after ( a ) everyone else takes the wrong turn , or ( b ) no one else arrives at the start . I almost got ( b ) right , and having come so close , I will endeavour to hunt down more small races in the hope that one day I can be the fastest runner out there !
I visited Ventersdorp for the first time ever in early 2017 , to run a marathon . I visited Ventersdorp for the second time later that same year , also to run a marathon , this time the inaugural JB Marks Marathon . In my opinion , running a marathon is one good reason to visit Ventersdorp . I am hard-pressed to find a second …
Something to Phone Home About
There was no prize money on offer , but I was advised that I ’ d need to stick around to collect a trophy . After I regained my breath , I enjoyed the novel experience of phoning my wife to inform her that I would be arriving home later than planned , because “ I had to wait for prize giving .” The Moedergemeente Familiefees ( basically a church bazaar ) was in full swing by the time I finished , so I browsed the stalls and listened to some local artists belt out some ‘ treffers ’ whilst waiting for my moment of podium glory .
The Famous Fordyce ‘ Sting in the Tail ’
( Marathon # 172 / Unique Marathon # 89 / 16 December 2017 )
Three minutes before the start of the inaugural JB Marks Marathon , and the other 14 runners have not yet appeared
Having run my first back-to-back marathon weekend ( the Aspen and
Heroes Marathons ) at the start of December , I thought that my 2017 marathon season was concluded . Luckily , I spotted a flyer for a new race on a Facebook running group , and gratefully grabbed the opportunity to squeeze one more marathon into the year , thus finishing 2017 with 23 marathons ( 17 standard , 6 ultra ).
According to the flyer , the JB Marks Marathon was being organised “ to promote road running and raise funds for the purchase of stationery , school uniforms and sanitary towels for needy pupils .” An admirable goal , and I always like to support races that are run for a good cause . Also , the marathon entry cost R130 ( very reasonable , and included a cotton shirt ), while the event also included 21km , 10km and 5km options .
Bruce Fordyce takes the lead at Comrades ’ 88 , executing the iconic “ Sting in the tail ” handshake on Mark Page
Bruce Hargreaves put together a number of great Comrades videos on YouTube , and he covered nine-time winner Bruce Fordyce , the ‘ King of Comrades ,’ in The Comrades Journey Part 3 . It ’ s well worth a watch , and at 4:15 in this clip , you can see Fordyce taking the lead from Mark Page in the 1988 Comrades , with the famous “ Sting in the Tail ” handshake .
I made the easy two-hour drive from Johannesburg to Ventersdorp on Friday with Julian Karp , who is a certified marathon addict , having ( at that time ) completed over 700 marathons and ultras . Julian makes my own marathon running OCD seem relatively normal … like if Ozzy Osborne is having a few drinks in a bar , he is pretty hardcore in isolation , but he would be made to look ‘ recreational ’ if Keith Richards walks through the door ! ( You can read more about Julian in the January 2018 edition .)
Relaxed Atmosphere
The race was held on 16 December , the Day of Reconciliation public holiday , and despite being the start of the summer school holidays , it was easy to secure accommodation within walking distance of the start . Ventersdorp is not a big tourist destination , it seems . The athletes were clearly already in holiday mode , though , because at 5:57am I was the only runner in the general vicinity of the start line .
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