The Comrades Ultramarathon 2022 marked the return of the famous ultramarathon of Africa. The 95 edition was such a great success after a halt that extended for 2 years because of the 2020 pandemic. Through this article, I will take you through how we finished this great race in spite of all the hard times we got.
Tuesday, 24 May 1921 Thirty-four official and four unofficial, scantily clad men stood in a single line across Commercial Road, outside City Hall. They were waiting for someone to fire a pistol and send them on a daring foot journey to the coast in faraway Durban, 54 miles away.
The Comrades Ultramarathon is the oldest and largest annual ultra marathon, for those who have never heard of it. The race, which was founded in 1921 in the aftermath of World War I, has a long history. Vic Clapham, a veteran, came up with the idea to honor South African soldiers killed during the war. The race has been run almost every year since, though black and female runners were not permitted to compete until 1975.
That was the beginning of The Comrades Ultramarathon. and for the following 100 years, this race marked its place as the ultimate human experience of all the ultramarathon road races of the world.
I finished my first edition of The Comrades Ultramarathon race back in 2019 which was an up run and was planning to do my down run in 2020 to earn my back-to-back medal.
The Comrades Ultramarathon Up/down Run
The Comrades Ultramarathon route connects the cities of Pietermaritzburg and Durban. However, the direction shifts between “up” and “down” years. In “up” years, racers run 87K with an elevation gain of about 2,000 meters. The “down” years are a little longer, reaching 90K, but the run is a net downhill.
The Comrades Ultramarathon Back-to-Back medal
The back-to-back medal was created in 2005 and is now awarded to novice runners who complete ‘up and down runs’ in a row. Finishers of the 2005 Comrades Marathon who had completed their first Comrades Marathon in 2004 received back-to-back medals. Due to administrative constraints, the award, like any new innovation, was never intended to be retrospective. However, due to popular demand, the back-to-back medal is now available for purchase to runners who have previously completed both an ‘up’ and a ‘down’ Comrades Marathon.
My Accident ruined The Comrades ultramarathon plan for me
In June 2021 I was hit by a motorcycle in the street while walking. This resulted in a fracture in my hip and an invasive operation that kept me in bed for 3 months and out of the running scene for more than 9 months.
When The Comrades Ultramarathon announced the date for The Comrades Ultramatrthon 2022 I had to get back on my feet, to defeat the pain and the crocked walk style, to run and train for my last Ultramarathon.
My physio doctor was not sure that I’ll be able to run again. The advice is not to join any long runs or races. however, I kept my spirit high and continued my training.
The Comrades Ultramarathon partner
I met Alina back when I was in Dubai. We used to run with the same club Run 4 a Purpose.
Run for a purpose is a community running club in Dubai. like most of the community running clubs, the weekly training was all in short distances and for novice runners.
After leaving Dubai I met Alina again in Chicago Marathon 2019, where she told me about her unsuccessful plan to run the Two Oceans Marathon and later that she is registered for The Comrades Ultramarathon 2020.
Since then we kept in contact about our plans and training for The Comrades Ultramarathon. and suddenly we both went through major health issues that brought all our plans down.
In several text messages and zoom calls we were discussing the probability of not doing the race. but w were sure about one thing.
We are going to be at the start line, reaching the finish line is not guaranteed but we will give it a shot
Our health and training were not tin the best shape. or even for a shape that is acceptable for a comrades entry.
We will go to get the cap and the goody bag, if we went home with a medal also this will be an addition
Booked everything and traveled to Durban to stay in the Amazing The Quarters hotel
The Comrades Ultramarathon 2022 Race expo
When you reach The Comrades Ultramarathon race expo you get overwhelmed with all the accessories and perks. You see all the other runners that will be next to you in a couple of days tackling the same challenge.
It’s an experience of its own, even if you are not a runner. just being there at the race expo will make you want to sign up and race the next day.
The Comrades Ultramarathon 2022 from Durban to the race line
For a down run The Comrades Ultramarathon starts from PMB. but PMB is not a nice place to stay so it’s much better to book your stay in Durban and then move to the start line using the busses.
As we did this, we were very anxious about the race that we didn’t sleep and went to the bus station 30 min earlier than the bus, but also then we found that there are many runners of the same status and buses are already moving. We jumped on a bus and enjoyed the local music that the bus played all the way to PMB.
Taking the early bus to PMB we didn’t notice that we will arrive there early and had to wait on the cold street for 2 hours before the start gun.
luckily we found a hotel that allowed us to enter and enjoy a good cup of coffee in the lobby for some of the time.
Seeded in the F wave we were among very enthusiastic runners and all are eager to start the race.
one of the best experiences of The Comrades Ultramarathon is the start line. there is so much history in this. the playlist is well known for every comrade’s runner. It starts with the South African Natioinal anthem, then Shosholosa, then a roaster sound that marks the race starting with the fire of the gun, in addition to chariots of fire.
The Comrades Ultramarathon 2022 race experience
The Comrades Ultramarathon start line of 2022 was no less than any other Comrades race start. Although the numbers were much lower only 15K runners versus the previous 40K runner. but everyone was excited and everything was done properly.
After we passed the start line the runners were still packed. there is a pedestrian in the middle of the street which made the runner split the two ways of the road.
During this part of the race, you pretty much run at the same speed as everyone around you. if you try to race or bypass the one in front of you this means you will have to bump into 2 or 3 other runners.
We kept a good pace as the street was full of runners and you actually can’t see what was on the street in front of you.
10km in 80km to go
AFter almost the first 10 km the streets started to clear. the pack of runners is now less crowded and the sun is up. you can indulge in the beauty of South Africa
20km in 70km to go
Only after the first 20km I felt warm enough to take off my extra layer and give it to one of the kids standing on the side of the road.
Now we passed the first cutoff with 50mins to spare and we are ahead of our 10:30 finish schedule
30km in 60km to go
It’s a down run they say but this doesn’t mean the whole road will be downhill. it’s still a hilly country and to go down you have to go up for some time. the total elevation gain for the race is 1800m
During the race route, we pass through many villages, towns, and neighborhood
You can spot the different social classes between each part of the route.
Some high-class expensive homes and the homeowners are out of the gate having their BBQ and cheering everyone passes by
In some poor villages with also people outside on the side of the street cheering and singing
40km in 50km to go
The race is about to start. yes
The first 40km is just a warmup because you are still fresh you are active and eager to finish but 40 is not the finish line, it’s not even close to the midway point at 46km.
Now your body starts to complain and your mind is out of fresh and happy ideas.
We joined the 11:00 bus
What they call in South Africa a Bus is actually a pace group led by a pacer who will finish the race in the time written on the sign that is hanging over his head.
The bus keeps a tight schedule and they are close to each other blocking the road. if you meet a bus and you want to pass it’s a hard maneuver.
If you enter a checkpoint at the same time as the bus you have to fight for your share of water.
Keeping up with the 11:00 bus means that we are way behind our 10:30 plan. we say that we are going to make it before the next cutoff but that’s only a dream.
The bus keeps singing local South African songs and you just enjoy it. begin with the 11:00 bus means that we are in a comfort zone, but we had to leave it and chase our dream of finishing sub 11hours
50km done 40km to go
Now we passed the midpoint and as they say it’s all the way down, but it’s not ALL there are still some hills you have to take up.
We witnessed the first runner collapse on the side of the street and the medics rash to him with their equipment, they started using the defibrillator which means that he is in very bad shape.
60km done 30km to go
Now you feel confident that most of the race is done now and you have only one-third to go.
at this point we were aiming for the 21 mark if we we reach this point then the rest can be done even by walking or at any distance.
In South African races the race markers are in Km, that’s normal .. no problem. but the markers don’t mark how far you went. It marks how much is still left to run.
we met that nice couple that seems to be living in Dubai, the Girl is wearing the Dubai creek striders t-shirt and the guy is in Innerfit shirt also. We had a nice chat and they passed us on the way.
Now there are much fewer runners on the road next to you and the road goes through distances of highway that have now cheering crowds on the sides. you have to entertain yourself, what do you do? We started singing. our own mini karaoke during The Comrades Ultramarathon race.
Every time we meet some new runners we ask them for new song recommendations. Songs that we sing together with our bad voices and difficulty in breathing but at least it is a way to take our minds off the race and the pain.
70km done 20km to go
Going into this checkpoint that marks the cutoff of the 21km to go was the happiest moment during the race. tears were in my eyes, I had only 21km left in the race. to finish them I have more than 3 hours, which is a good timeframe.
yes, we knew that the 10:30 was out of the question but I still tried to keep a faster pace maybe we can still get a sub-11 medal.
Waterpoints on The Comrades Ultramarathon race are a huge thing, you can see more than 100 volunteers out there. Handing you everything they have, from water sachets to electrolytes and coke in a cup.
The crowed at this point are more happy, it’s already past noon and they hade there breakfast and lunch already.
The weather is cool and the sun is not a problem at all, during the whole The Comrades Ultramarathon I didn’t have to put on my sunglasses because
1- The sun is not hot and it’s mostly cloud
2- I want to see everything in the real colors of South Africa
80km down 10km to go
Do you believe this?
We have reached this point, the 9km to go cutoff
We passed it with only 45min clearance, which means that we are at the finish line but over the 11 hours
After the cutoff, there is a small hard hill that we went through.
During the race, we have seen plenty of runners collapse on the street. But at this hill we’ve seen one that is not moving and the ambulance is backing up to get him
just a couple of meters after that we witnessed the Girl in Dubai Creek striders shirt and she is screaming in pain, the medics are advising her to stop the race and she is refusing.
The last 9km
The last 9 km of The Comrades Ultramarathon was the hardest.
You know you gonna finish
you want to speed up and get finished with this
but your body is in pain
for 6km you had to run on a fast road, with way less runners around you than before, and the hills are much harder
After running over a bridge now you can spot the stadium
going down from this bridge you find yourself in Durban finally. Now the run is more of what you usually experience during any city race.
but The Comrades Ultramarathon is different. It’s now 3km to go and we can’t move our legs anymore.
i have a huge pain in my feet, there are blisters that I can feel. during drinking all these sachets of water every time you open a sachet with your mouth some water splashes in your face, and this water some go into your shoes.
My wet socks and unstable running strides created a big blister in my left foot and dead tissues in my right foot.
Just suck it bro and continue
a little later we went into the stadium, and everything changed.
The Comrades Ultramarathon finish line
Once you enter the stadium everything changes, now you can feel the vibes, it’s already 500 meters to the finish line and everyone is cheering for you. you can hear the MC calling names and encouraging you to finish.
I ran, I danced I laughed, and I cried
All of this just in those 500 meters, This was it, that’s the end of the day and I’m getting my medal, we powered through the whole race and we are champions
I’m very thankful for this moment, the moment that I crossed the finish line, the moment that we achieved what we came to do.
This blog doesn’t do fair for the whole experience, I’ve tried to describe everything that happened but it’s not enough you have to take this race and feel everything for yourslef
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