ROAD RUNNING
MA : What blew me away was that your plan actually had 5:49 as the finishing time , which would mean taking around nine minutes off the previous best time for the Up Run , which you posted in 2019 . I think most of us who follow the sport were thinking , sure , you should be able to break the record again , given your form this year and the slightly shorter course , but I don ’ t think many would have predicted you ’ d do it by nine minutes !
GS : Yes , I was planning to run 5:49 , that ’ s what I was training for . I practised to run that pace , and to get used to the effort that it would take , so 5:49 was definitely my plan , and I just thought that that ’ s what I ’ m capable of doing . I ’ m just really grateful for how it all played out , because I couldn ’ t really have asked for a better race . I had no hiccups , nothing that really bothered me . It was a tough race , but a calm race .
MA : Would it be fair to say that the slightly shorter course influenced your planning around a new record ?
GS : I think it definitely had an impact on my planning , and my confidence . Just knowing that it was 800 metres or so shorter than 2019 would mean about three minutes difference in time for me , and that definitely played a role in my thinking , but I also wanted to make sure that I still ran faster in terms of the pace than I was in 2019 . For me , it ’ s important to see progress as an athlete , and where I ’ m going . I believe that I ’ m a better athlete now than I was in 2019 , so to simply improve my time because the course is shorter wouldn ’ t satisfy me . I ’ m setting my goals to where I think I am in terms of my shape and performance , and I wanted to make sure that I ran this
Comrades at a faster pace than I did in 2019 , so that ’ s how I got to that target time of 5:49 .
MA : On a related note , there was a new incentive this year to beat the record pace of the previous fastest paced performance , and I ’ d like to ask if that also factored into your planning ?
GS : I heard that the new sponsor , Cell C , had introduced an incentive for not only the record , but also the pace record , which for me as an athlete is massive . It ’ s my job , it ’ s my income , so to have that sort of financial incentive to chase was definitely a big encouragement for me , to really make sure that I get it right . So , I ’ m very appreciative of the fact that it ’ s been such a big increase from previous years , and I hope to see that continue in the future . Also , in years where the race is perhaps a little bit longer , then the time record might not be within reach , but you can still aim for that best pace , so I think it ’ s an amazing addition , and very suited for Comrades .
MA : Changing tack a bit now … Most of us think that you may have had a bit of a ‘ dark patch ’ on Polly Shortts , but the only reason we say that is because the television commentators noticed that you weren ’ t smiling as much as earlier in the race ! Were they right , was that a so-called dark patch ?
GS : No , I wouldn ’ t say so . I still felt very strong in the latter parts of the race , but Polly Shortts is Polly Shortts – it ’ s tough for everyone ! It doesn ’ t matter what pace you run the race in , it ’ s always going to be a difficult hill . But in my mind , I just sort of , how can I say , dialled in that it ’ s going to be ten minutes of really hard work , and then you ’ re at the top of Polly Shortts , and then you can run downhill at a good pace again .
So , yes , I ‘ felt ’ Polly Shortts , but no , I wouldn ’ t say that it was a dark patch , per se .
MA : I love the way you put that : It ’ s 10 minutes of hard work and then it ’ s done . Most people don ’ t think of Polly Shortts in such simplistic terms , or that it will be over that quickly ...
GS : I think if you expect it to be hard , it ’ s easier to process it in that moment , but you shouldn ’ t underestimate it . It is definitely a difficult hill . That ’ s why it ’ s so famous ! But I think my expectation versus the reality of what it was , proved quite in line with each other .
MA : After the race , I saw your post on social media saying “ it ’ s blur , blur , interview , blur , blur , interview , blur blur .” Sounds like you were inundated with requests for interviews , so I have to say thank you for making time to chat to me today .
Sheer elation as Gerda breaks the tape for her third Comrades win
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