Traffic … the original reason for qualifiers being introduced at the Comrades
ostensibly to ensure that runners are fit and healthy enough to tackle the Comrades . It all related to traffic logistics , and if you take the time to read Morris Alexander ’ s excellent book , Comrades Marathon , you will find all this history confirmed . As a result , over the next seven years after that 1975 Comrades , the organisers took further steps to reduce traffic by restricting the type and number of vehicles used , and eventually banned seconding vehicles completely and introducing refreshment stations , which had not officially existed until then . Importantly , it was still only novices that were required to qualify , and it was in any marathon at any time of year . This requirement was later extended to all entrants , but included the previous year ’ s Comrades as a qualifier .
Then in 2010 , what I believe was an illogical and catastrophic decision was made by the Comrades Marathon Association ( CMA ), to introduce a limited qualification period , prompting clubs and race organisers to squeeze their marathons into that period on the race calendar . This coincided with a massive interest in the Comrades for that World Cup year , as well as the overall growth in clubs and running , which helped mask the eventual impact of this decision .
The same is true of other top contenders of the time . For example , Nick Bester and Danny Biggs focused their year-end and new year early months on preparing for the Leppin Ironman Gold Medal , mixing canoeing , cycling and running until the end of February , then recovered before beginning their specific Comrades training . Arguably , Nick ’ s best performance was in the 1994 Up Run , where his scientific heart rate approach to pacing saw him start to catch USA ’ s Alberto Salazar , who had ‘ front-run ’ from the gun and burst through halfway minutes under the previous best time . As the American ’ s pace was reduced to a relative shuffle , Nick was energised by his conservative start and closed the gap at an amazing rate . Bester finished a very credible second , but had that been a 100km race , he would have won !
Ironically , at the 2010 race launch , three key CMA players , including the then Chairman and General Manager , stood at the front of the launch for question time , but could not answer why they had such a restrictive qualification process . They even asked an ‘ Old Timer ’ in the audience to explain it for them , and “ then we will give our answer ,” to quote the Chairman . And this was when the mass of runners started on the slippery slope of deteriorating performance …
Critical , Logical Thinking
How often do we hear statements to “ follow the science ” and “ put the runner first ?” The statistical analysis has been done , and shown that the interests of runners have been compromised . It is time the errors of the past CMA Board are corrected , and for the current leadership to walk the talk . To quote The Running Mann ’ s conclusion from his analysis of 2022 Comrades stats : “ I think both Comrades and Two Oceans should allow full-year ( i . e . race date to race date ) qualification to balance the running calendar better … as there is no statistical justification for limiting the qualification to a seven-month window .”
Now before people start thinking this is an attack on Comrades , or Two Oceans , it really is not . Keep in mind that my preferred racing distance was ultras , anything from 90km to 1000km . I have completed 20 runs each at Comrades and Two Oceans , and many other ultras , as well as raced in national colours in ultradistance events . This is about the science , logic and viability to take our sport
Images : Action Photo SA & courtesy Comrades Marathon Association & Norrie Williamson
Qualification Conundrum
So , commencing Comrades training in January is too soon for established runners , and can virtually guarantee lining up in June with damaged muscles and a fatigued mind . Similarly , leaving a seeding or qualification marathon to the three months prior to Comrades results in losing focus on the key objective of improving endurance with slow running below 70 % effort . As ‘ The Running Mann ’ has confirmed , early qualification in September / October allows the focus to revert to building capacity and top-end speed over the summer period . The focus on endurance then commences as the adverse temperatures and humidity reduce towards June . As we will see , this pressure to qualify was only introduced when first Comrades and then Oceans restricted their qualifying period .
Interestingly , qualification was introduced in 1975 by Comrades stalwart , Mick Winn , when concerns were aired that as race numbers grew , so the impact of the increasing number of seconding vehicles clogging the route became worse , sparking fears that the race would be stopped by the authorities . In those years , each runner had a car or motorcycle seconding them on the route , which resulted in terribly traffic jams . Therefore , a limit of 1500 entries was instituted for that Golden Jubilee event , and all novice runners were required to provide a qualifying marathon time of 4:30 or better ( the race still had an 11-hour cut-off ). All previous Comrades finishers , irrespective of when they last ran the race , were accepted without needing a qualifier .
Until 1974 , there had only been 1200 entrants , so 1500 seemed a reasonable limit , but entries actually exceeded that , with 1668 runners applying , due to the excitement of the excitement of the 50 years celebration . In the end , 168 runners were rejected , although some went on to run unofficially , which is why Lettie van Zyl , who had been rejected , crossed the finish line almost two hours prior to the first official female finisher , Betty Cavanagh , and this prompted the decision to remove the limit on numbers of entries , but keep the qualification time .
Where the Plot Was Lost
The bottom line is that qualification had nothing to do with medical concerns , which is often touted as the reason for qualifiers being necessary these days ,
The author , a former front row forward , in one of his early Comrades runs
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