Training – it was hectic for about a month – running from Howard College along Ridge road to Mitchell Girls High and back twice a week. There was one long run to Kloof, hitching a lift back having realised there was no way I could ever run back. In fairness, I was a fit 21 year old tennis and soccer student.

I entered the Richmond to Maritzburg Marathon for my qualifier, but it was the day after our annual Varsity RAG fundraising parade, and our Engineering float got third prize, so I had a good babbelas! There was a form of seeding at this marathon – the slowest runners( yours truly included) started first. Within 60 minutes I was last, and when I reached the finish in Maritzburg about six hours later, the last two organisers were pulling down the advertising bunting. They stopped and applauded this bedraggled wreck hobbling past the finish. Fortunately, there was no time limit, so I was in!

ALTERNATIVE APPROACH

The night before Comrades was hectic! I offered

two friends a bottle each of the whisky to be my seconds, and we then organised peanut butter saamies from the residence Matron, plus four hardboiled eggs, two tomatoes, some salt and water. For the race I wore my newest tennis shirt and shorts, and my shoes were Runacan lace-totoe tennis tekkies. We drove to Maritzburg early on the day, and if my memory is correct, I paid R1.00 at the start to be given race number 880.

Up to halfway, it was a fun day. Most of the seconds for the slower runners were ladies, and they were happy to share their food and water / coke / whatever with this chirping student. I remember going up the back of Inchanga and a second, on a Vespa, was giving his charge a drink. I was offered some, too – it was diluted Old Brown Sherry!

Going down Fields Hill was via a small back road from Kloof down to near the bottom, and no seconds’ cars were allowed on this stretch. Here I met up with a runner of about my age( 21) and his second, water was shared and onwards we shuffled. I remember his encouragement …“ Roy, let’ s imagine Brigit Bardot is waiting for us at the finish.( For younger readers, she was a sexy French actress.) I don’ t know why, but my retort was,“ Nah, think of Rock Hudson.”( For younger readers, he was a not so sexy, not so French actor.) My new friend took one look at me and bolted!

TAKING STRAIN …

By Westville I was really chafing because of my wet tennis shorts. No problem, I had some old soccer shorts in the car. But this was followed by bleeding nipples – I now know how breast feeding must feel! Then at 45th Cutting I met

up with a runner I had met in training, and with whom I had shared some rivalry around who would finish first. He was sitting on the side of the road, wrecked, and I taunted him with some“ boy” chirps, ending with catch me if you can.

The ending is a blur … My second ran with me / shoved me / slapped me / swore at me / did whatever it took to get a broken me to the DLI Hall finish at Greyville Racecourse, fourth-last and 107 seconds before cut-off. To my surprise, my 45th Cutting buddy was a few seconds behind me – he had got so angry with my chirps, he got up and chased me.

By mutual agreement, the bets were converted to Lion Ale – at R0.17 a bottle – which meant we shared some seven dozen pints the next weekend. And yes, I did walk around varsity as though I had an ingrown carrot! The next month I received an engraved silver medal in the post. Back then all finishers got silver medals, and it says, S R Nattrass – 411th – 10h58m13s.

TIME MARCHES ON

Because I really hurt my body that day, running became an absolute no-no for me, but some 20 years later, married with three kids, smoking, fat and unfit, I decided to do it again. With the same laissez fare approach, I once again did not train properly and ended up with 3km to go at the 5pm cut-off. That taught me one of the biggest lessons in life, that the Boy Scout motto“ Be prepared” is spot-on. Since then I have managed another 21 finishes plus four misses. Sadly, at 70 years young and 50 years later, I am now too slow to make the five-hour qualifying marathon cut-off time to qualify for what would have been

Images: Courtesy Roy Nattrass & Brett Nattrass