ROAD RUNNING
René experienced a ‘ dark patch ’ around 70km
proved really hard for you ?
RK : I really struggled the first 30 kays . I wasn ’ t running very comfortably , and I actually had to make a portaloo stop at 14 already , but then the lead ladies went , and I think that was a blessing in disguise , because then I just focused on my own race . I did a lot of mental preparation , listened to a lot of podcasts and YouTube vids , and as Bruce Fordyce says , you ’ ll know on Fields Hill if you ’ re going to have a good race or not . Well , I was not feeling great ...
Luckily , from about 30 kays , I started to feel a lot better , and at that stage I was running with Eddie Mouton , and he shared some valuable advice . I really appreciated that . I enjoyed running with him , and also with Benny Roux , and former clubmate Wian Swanepoel . All of them knew I was a novice and they
All smiles as René hits the green carpet finish all shared valuable advice , like what I need to check out for , which I really appreciated . And when we hit Botha ’ s Hill , I was feeling a lot better , and I started to enjoy it and soak up the crowd , and just literally enjoy every step of the way . I was also concerned about when Inchanga was coming , because all of those podcast gave Inchanga eight out of 10 , but when we reached Umlaas , I realised I was over Inchanga , and it wasn ’ t that bad .
MA : And Pollys ? How did you find the last of the Big 5 climbs ?
RK : Luckily , on our way down to Durban , we drove part of the route , so I knew what to expect – Little Pollys and everything – but there Lindsey Parry ’ s words were haunting me . He says you have to walk up Pollys , because if you don ’ t , you ’ re going to have a bad experience afterwards . But I actually didn ’ t walk once in Comrades , not even up Pollys , and I still managed to feel great till the finish line .
MA : Did you find that fellow runners and spectators recognised you , and did you get a lot of support out there ?
RK : Yes , definitely . Okay , it helps that your name
is big on an elite seeding bib , but there were a lot of familiar faces . It was wonderful to spot all these people from my running journey , including some people I actually didn ’ t expect to see . What was also special is that quite a few school kids were on the road supporting their parents , and also some colleagues as well . That was extra special .
MA : When you say school kids , are you talking about the kids that you actually teach ?
RK : Yes , that I ’ m actually teaching , whose parents also ran the Comrades .
MA : That ’ s awesome ! So , at the time of this interview , three days after the race , have you been back to school yet ? If so , what was the reaction when you got back ?
Proud parents help René celebrate a first Comrades medal
12 ISSUE 169 | www . modernathlete . co . za