THE RUNNING
MANN the running mann by STUART MANN
Life Lessons from the Road : Be Mindful of the Middle
Due to the COVID-19 lockdown , I have not been able to get my usual marathoning and travel fix in for a while , so here is another instalment of the lessons I ’ ve learnt in running that can be applied to the business world .
It ’ s time we revisited that hackneyed piece of ‘ common wisdom ’ that states , “ It ’ s not how you start , it ’ s how you finish .” When you are doing anything substantial – whether it ’ s running a marathon or tackling a complex project – starting is easy , and finishing is also surprisingly easy , but dealing with the middle is what separates the medal-winners from the also-rans .
Anyone can start a marathon . Life is easy when you ’ re full of energy , hype and nervous tension . And anyone can finish a marathon once the end is in sight . It is the doldrums – that dire , dour , dark period that every runner experiences somewhere after the halfway mark – that causes the majority of casualties . The doldrums is where self-doubt creeps in , fatigue festers , the brain does its best to override the body , and the allure of quitting is at its zenith .
There is a slight anomaly at the first timing mat in Pinetown , where the number of runners actually increased by 34 ! ( Perhaps we need former rugby test referee and Green Number 22512 Jonathan Kaplan on hand to officiate runners ‘ entering from the side .’) However , the drop-out numbers are very static all the way to the halfway mark at Drummond , with only 91 runners falling before halfway , but there are a further 337 causalities at Drummond itself .
The Dol-Drummonds , that short , triskaidekaphobic * 13km stretch from halfway to Cato Ridge , accounts for the highest number of race-day casualties ( 608 ). The total drop-off in numbers over the 23km between Cato Ridge and the penultimate timing mat at Polly Shortts was a whopping 1687 runners . That means that over 70 % of Comrades starters who failed to add to their medal count in 2019 fell over this 23km battleground , whereas , with the end in sight , the body count fell to its lowest level since the first third of the race . There are just 284 runners who summitted Polly Shortts but didn ’ t get to experience galloping around the Scottsville race track .
I ’ ve started 241 marathons and ultras in varying states of fitness and health . At the start line of every one , I ’ ve known that I can make it to halfway . I ’ ve also known that I can complete the last 10 kilometres . It ’ s the doldrums that I prepare my mind for . In life , as in marathon running , neglecting the psychological warfare that grips you during the doldrums is what finishes you .
Images : Martin Mulder and courtesy Stuart Mann
Comrades doesn ’ t just have the doldrums … it has the Dol-Drummonds at the halfway mark . I can remember my first Comrades in 2003 : I was full of vim , vigour and youthful naivety . I was coasting my way along and had already added “ Comrades finisher ” to my CV as I flew through the halfway mark , full of the euphoria one associates with a Comrades debutant . I wasn ’ t ready for the sucker punch lurking around the corner . Up until that point , I had only stopped to retie my shoelaces , but a series of hills with no name knocked the wind from my midriff .
Those Who Don ’ t Make It
Looking back at the stats of the last Comrades Marathon in 2019 , I realised that I was not alone with my mid-race crisis . In fact , 19,000 fellow Comrades can help illustrate my point ! The graph below shows how many Comrades runners bailed or were cut-off at or before each timing mat over the 90km journey between Durban and Pietermaritzburg in that 2019 race .
Drummond is the Comrades halfway mark , and the hills here bite the hardest . The lady who took this picture cut the “ D ” out of “ Drummond .” She is either a raging alcoholic or a strategic genius , because next year I will be imagining that Captain Morgan is standing at the top , offering us all “ Rummond Coke .” So thanks , random supporter lady with limited photographic abilities !
Working out the Middleman
So , we all need to be wary of the middle … and on that note , I am starting to get concerned about my middle , which seems to be expanding rather rapidly due to an absence of marathon running . Let ’ s hope that we ’ re almost at the top of Polly Shortts in this COVID pandemic – that the malevolent middle is almost behind us – and we can look forward to seeing the single digit kilometre boards counting down to normal running activities again .
About the Author
The Running Mann has run over 240 marathons and ultras , and his current mission is to run every marathon in South Africa . He recently fulfilled a lifetime goal of securing a shoe sponsorship from The Sweatshop Broadacres and Asics South Africa ( and a running kit sponsorship from Runderwear ), thus allowing him to run more races and share their stories . You can follow his adventures on Twitter , Facebook or Instagram , and on his popular blog .
* Triskaidekaphobia – the irrational fear of the number 13
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