C o l u m n
ASK YOURSELF WHY
The Comrades organisers need to urgently address the safety concerns that came out of the 2023 edition
‘ double marathon ’ like Comrades has additional complications relating to aspects that occur after 12 hours of consistent exercise , as opposed to ‘ only ’ 6 or 7 hours , but there are many improvements required in Comrades and the ASA medical requirements if we are to live up to international expectations .
Considering Alternatives
The fact is that timeous medical attention was impossible over most of the Epworth to Washington Road diversion , and the Comrades organisers knew that , and ignored the risks . Most frustratingly , not only were the challenges and concerns raised well in advance , but the Comrades organisers were provided with alternative solutions by experienced locals before the time . These included not only alternative routes , but also suggestions to introduce wave starts , in order to reduce the peak runner flow per minute at the point of concern .
There is an understandable resistance to wave starts at Comrades , due to the traditional medal cut-off guns . However , the first Comrades in 1921 , with 34 entries , definitely did not see the last runner taking nine minutes to cross the start line ! It was only in 1974 that entries began consistently exceeding 1000 , and in 1981 that the numbers increased to 5000 . That year , the last runners took around three minutes to cross the West Street start line .
It is only since the late 1980 ’ s that numbers have increased beyond 10,000 , and only since the late 1990 ’ s , when the road width was reduced by the introduction of mat timing , that start delays have become significant . That said , as long ago as 2019 it was made clear that mat-to-mat timing , and wave starts , could successfully be introduced with accurate allocation of medals for every starter . The Comrades organisers have chosen to ignore this external advice .
In my experience around the world , event organisers are often totally immersed in their event , and thus welcome a set of fresh eyes coming in and providing experience and a different perspective . This is unfortunately not the case with all organisers , some of whom consider themselves worldly experts , and yet how many of them have actually ventured outside their province , country or continent to see how it is done elsewhere ? Here in South Africa , the sporting isolation years led to our road running organisation becoming a world leader in the sport in the 1980 ’ s , but today we have fallen dangerously behind , by resting on those laurels .
C is Also for Culpability
No worthy event organiser knowingly endangers the lives of the participants , who pay their entry fee trusting that the event will be organised according to the rules and ( at least ) to basic commonsense safety standards . I therefore do not believe that the Comrades Marathon organisers are bad people , but I feel that various rules have been ignored , or ‘ cherry-picked ,’ over the years .
For example , when they began allowing larger fields on roads that became so crowded that medical assistance would be delayed , or when they allowed over 800 runners per minute to use the off-ramp to Market Road last year . The saving grace was a relatively unrestricted width , and only 500m of narrower road before opening back to a 15-metre-plus road . Although reduced to a walk , runners in that 2022 event had a relatively free passage .
But it does beg the question , how can organisers be concerned about runners breaching rules when they intentionally and knowingly break the rules of the sport ? More importantly , should those who condoned the use of Epworth Street in this year ’ s Comrades be allowed to play with runners ’ lives in any event ever again ?
C is Also for Centenary Besides planning and problem-solving for the next Comrades in 2024 being necessary , plans are already being discussed for the 100th edition of the race in 2027 . A huge field is expected for that race , making it all the more urgent to correct the mistakes of 2023 . For starters , wave starts would not only give every Comrades runner a fair chance of earning the correct medal for their ability , but they would be able to run unobstructed , the safety on the road would increase , the capacity throughout the route would increase , and Comrades could easily work its way up to 35,000-plus entries .
A last thought is that in my opinion , the 2027 race should start at Maritzburg City Hall on Sunday 23 May , and finish in the street in Durban , with club tents lining the route over the final Centenary Mile . Done correctly , this could be a phenomenal re-run of the inaugural 1921 Comrades , with Monday 24 May the Comrades Centenary Celebration .
About the Author
Norrie represented Scotland and Great Britain in numerous ultra-distance events , then represented South Africa in triathlon . He is a World Athleticsaccredited coach and course measurer , and travels all over the world to work on events , including the Olympics . He has been appointed by World Athletics as Technical Delegate to a number of the world ’ s leading Label events in Africa , Asia and the Middle East . He has authored two books ( Everyman ’ s Guide to Distance Running and Every Beginner ’ s Guide to Walking & Running ), and counts 20 Comrades medals amongst his more than 150 ultra-marathon medals , as well as multiple wins at distances from 100km to 1000km . You can read more from him at www . coachnorrie . co . za .
42 ISSUE 160 | www . modernathlete . co . za