Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 60, July 2014 | Page 15

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While there are ma
tell from all the
individual stories to
es 2014, these
finishers in Comrad
still stood out for us.
Alan Robb: Back to his Best

Images: Jetline Action Photo

Last year the four-time winner ran his 40th consecutive Comrades, but
he was both physically shattered by the hot conditions and emotionally
drained after losing his wife Merle just after the 2012 Comrades and
running it for the first time without her to second him. In the last few
kays, he was virtually being held up by a clubmate as he struggled home
in 10:43:18, his slowest ever finish and way off his previous slowest of
9:16:22 in 2008, the only other time he didn’t finish sub-9:00.

Alan Robb cruised his 41st
Comrades comfortably.

Fast forward to 2014 and Alan, now running for the first time as a
grandmaster, not only bounced back to his normal self, he absolutely
blitzed the course in a scintillating 8:43:20 to take home another Bill
Rowan medal and finish as the second 60-year-old over the line. His
incredible Comrades medal haul now totals 12 Gold, 16 Silver, 9 Bill Rowan
and 4 Bronze medals.

David Williams: Happy Belated 40th
In 2013, three runners set out to run their 40th consecutive Comrades, and
while Alan Robb and Dave Lowe made it home, the torrid heat and wind ruined
David Williams’ uninterrupted streak as he missed the final cut-off gun. On
that day, walking the last few kays into Pietermaritzburg and still in high spirits
despite his disappointment, he quipped, “Every time I got to the top of a hill
today, another one would appear behind it. I don’t remember some of those
hills being on the Comrades route before!”
In stark contrast, this year he looked relaxed throughout as he cruised home
in 11:30:16, accompanied by Savages clubmate and former women’s winner
Tilda Tearle, to finally claim his 40th medal, only the eighth runner to reach this
milestone. (Congratulations also to Louis Massyn and Barry Hilton for their 42nd
consecutive finishes, and to David Lowe for his 41st, but spare a thought for
Dave Rogers, who was unable to complete his 46th.)

David is congratulated by
fellow 40s, Louis Massyn, Kenny Craig,
Clive Crawley and Alan Robb

Derek van Dam & Tara Hossack: Love on the Line
Well-known eNCA weatherman Derek Van Dam and girlfriend Tara Hossack began Comrades together, but
Derek later pulled ahead and finished in 11:18:48, then with flowers and ring in hand, waited impatiently
at the finish to pop the question. As the final cut-off approached, however, there was still no sign of Tara,
until to everyone’s relief, she crossed the line in 11:58:05, to be met by Derek going down on one knee...

Derek:

“For 12 hours, I had time to practise what I was going to say, but I didn’t because I was so
nervous! I remember telling her I love her and then asking. For Tara and I, Comrades is really special –
we dedicate a lot to it and it defines an important part of our relationship. That finish has become more
significant now!”

Tara:

“I was completely relieved to see Derek at the finish. It was such a tough run and I just wanted
to bury my face in his chest. The next few moments were a blur. I remember Derek on one knee and me
nodding vigorously, my cheeks hurting from smiling so much! Comrades has become a little more special
to us now.”

Kleintjie van Schalkwyk: First Women to 30
While the focus in recent years has been on several male athletes reaching
the 40-medal mark, Kleintjie has quietly been collecting finishes as well, and
this year became the first women to cross the line 30 times. Carrying a golden
30-sign, she came home in 9:56:27 and also, coincidentally, was 30th in the
master’s women age category. In another coincidence, Kleintjie ran her first
Comrades in 1983 at the age of 19, clocking 9:13:14 to finish 30th overall in the
women’s field, and in 1988 she was also 30th in the women’s senior category.

Kleintjie comes
in for her 30th.

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