The Comrades Marathon is a proudly South African tradition , but serious introspection is needed about its future |
Ultra-marathons are the original challenge . After all , the legendary ancient Greek messenger , Pheidippides , ran an ultramarathon long before he ran a marathon from the battlefield of Marathon to Athens . In the build-up to the battle , he was dispatched to run the mountainous 254km from Athens to Sparta to seek the assistance of the Spartans . It took him some 36 hours , but his request was rejected , which meant he had to return this message to Athens , and then join the Athenian army on its way to Marathon . It was with over 550km of running and a battle in his legs that he began his fateful run back to Athens to declare victory , with his dying words ! It is the ultra-distance that truly draws deep into the reserves and challenges mind and body . While the intensity of the marathon tests the physiological fitness and strength , it is the ultras longer than 80 or 100km that truly delve deep into the individual to find even the smallest of cracks and flaws on the day . And over the past century of Comrades Marathons – the race was first run in 1921 – every single ‘ Comrade ’ has come face to face with himself or herself , and identified and recognised their strengths and their weaknesses . This was entirely as Comrades founder Vic Clapham intended .
Everyone attempting to achieve their best in Comrades has been forced to test their character and integrity , constantly refusing the option of backing off and taking the easy way out , not only on race day , but also in the months leading up to the race . Those who run Comrades have accepted the burden of fighting themselves , the physical and mental torment of being on the road for anything from five-and-a-half to 12 hours . So , on Sunday 28 August , every finisher carved out their personal ‘ Comrades Characteristic ’ and learnt more about themselves , some of which will be stored away , never to be shared . And it is not surprising that everyone who has attempted or completed Comrades believes that it must be one of the greatest participation events on our planet . However , the global view is somewhat different .
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What is the Comrades ?
In South Africa , this 90km classic has taken on iconic proportions and is viewed as the must-do , ultimate challenge for anyone who considers themselves a runner . There are numerous cases , such as Willie Mtolo , who was twice the SA Marathon Champion with times that were amongst the top 10 in the world , but only gained public celebrity status in SA when he finished second to Sam Tshabalala in the 1989 Comrades !
Comrades creates South African heroes , but outside these borders , Comrades is considered an odd distance , meaningless ultra-marathon of zero significance to the majority of more than nine million runners who annually attend road races . And the same goes for the Two Oceans Marathon , another South African ‘ flagship ultra .’ Neither Comrades nor Two Oceans relate to standard distances and the only two events of similar distance in the UK have both died off due to lack of participation and relevance .
The Two Bridges 35-mile ( 56km ) and the London to Brighton 54-mile ( 89km ) races never achieved figures over a few hundred , and this would probably have been similar in South Africa were it not for the combination of ( a ) sporting isolation , resulting in a somewhat repetitive track and field circuit , ( b ) radio and TV coverage of Comrades , and ( c ) Bruce Fordyce and numerous other Comrades characters .
The growth of Comrades ( and Oceans ) really commenced in 1976 and hit the heydays in late 80 ’ s . However , even with 27,500 entries for the cancelled 2020 race , the Comrades is currently a proverbial zero in world terms . The 2022 Comrades has therefore created an essential opportunity for review , restructure and renewal , without which the event will continue to face the existing challenges and may further lose its relevance . This process not only needs to compare where it has come from , where it is now , but also the desires being expressed by current and future participants .
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Images : Tobias Ginsberg |