Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 76, November 2015 | Página 18

Ma

FEATURE

Second
Best… The
Story of
a Washie
Second
We often hear runners’ stories of ultra-distance races, but we seldom hear about these runs from the perspective of an
athlete’s support crew, or seconds, and the critical role they play in supporting the runners. I hope that writing about my
experience as a second in the recent Washie 100 Miler not only gives the event the attention it deserves, but also gives
runners useful insight into the support they will need out on the road, and how they should assemble their support team.
– BY THOLAKELE CHARMAIN SHANDU

F

ar less people have heard of the Washie100 Miler in South Africa
than the Comrades Marathon, so for those who don’t know it, the
Washie is a 160km road race from Port Edward to East London, with
a 26-hour cut-off. The race starts at 5pm on a Friday and is run as
close to the full moon as possible, but runners must still get through a long
night of running, much of it along an undulating, busy highway.

ensure that the sustenance is provided at the right intervals. The second
is also a cheerleader, storyteller, jokes master, singer, poet, and reader
and confirmer of the very big glow-in-the dark kilometre markers to the
incredulous runner. The second must also have thick skin and be able to
withstand verbal and emotional abuse from the runner, who may think the
sun revolves around them…

It is a very long, gruelling run, and one of the requirements of the race is
that runners must have a support team of seconds to look after them, in a
car in good running condition and with enough petrol to drive up and down
the route. And so this July, I and two running mates were invited to be
seconds when our friend Gerald Pavel signed up to run the Washie for the
first time, and that 160km trek was the longest thing any of us have ever
been exposed to.

Seconds also need to be able and willing to run, as one of their jobs is to
keep the runner company by running at certain intervals alongside their
runner, so they must be fit and have a fairly good understanding of what
running entails. Our plan was that I would do most of the driving and just
do a little running with Gerald, to relieve the other two main seconds.

Gerald has four Comrades bronze medals, and his team of seconds
included a Comrades gold medallist in Prodigal Kumalo, who has also won
several races on the track and in cross-country, on the trails and over the
marathon distance. Then there was Zisandele Mkhize, a Comrades Bill
Rowan medallist who also boasts podium finishes in various trail races.
And then there was me... I am merely a Comrades finisher. Against these
talented Comrades runners, I couldn’t help but feel that I was second-best
with my three Comrades Vic Clapham medals, which were all achieved
in the last 30 minutes before the 12-hour cut-off. Also, the fact that my
Comrades record includes two DNF’s did not help my confidence levels.
Nevertheless, there I was.
Now let’s come back to the role of a second: You are supposed to supply
the runner with food and ensure that they are adequately hydrated, and

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ISSUE 76 NOVEMBER 2015 / www.modernathlete.co.za

Images: Courtesy Tholakele Shandu

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