Race Day tips 2011
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What is the job? The job is very clear to run up from Durban to Pietermaritzburg, a distance of 86.6km, in less than 12 hours. The profile of the map gives you a good idea of the climbing involved and the huge distance. All
too often so many runners go to pieces on Comrades Day. It must
be a combination of nervous relief that at last you are starting the
race and the sheer strength that has resulted from the hard and well
timed training. Runners from inland and particular from the
highveld get a bonus of free oxygen at sea level. Surrounded by
the hype and strange surroundings the reckless runner goes off far too
fast believing that today they are going to run faster and longer than
ever before. When reality creeps in just after halfway and a long
way from the finish, there is a sudden sinking feeling that they went
out too fast with nothing they can do now to reverse it. The race
becomes a disappointing walk and struggle for the last three or four
hours and the embarrassment of being regularly overtaken by friends you
left far behind on the outskirts of Durban earlier in the
day. Comrades requires great self discipline and patience,
particularly in the early stages. Holding back are the key words
for the first half. Keep to your Pacing Chart or your own
schedule based on previous races. Never before have you been so
well trained and rested as well. This is the day you have been waiting for. Start the day early with a light breakfast of toast, cereals and an energy drink. Make double sure you have tied your Champion chip on your shoes. Check the Comrades numbers back and front are pinned on securely. Get to the start by 4.45 am and recognise where you will gain access to your seeding pen. The darkness at the start is dangerous in the crowded streets full of overexcited runners. Don’t worry how long it takes to get over the starting line. An allowance has been made in all the Pacing Charts. The last seeding group H will probably take 7 minutes to go over the start line. The first drinks table is usually at about 6kms and every 1,2kms thereafter. Look for the “Kms to Go" boards and check progress after 6,7kms where the board shows “80kms to Go”. Walk frequently in the first hour as you climb endless hills on the pull out of Durban. Don’t stop at each and every refreshment station but rather at every alternate one. They come on average every 1.6kms. Aim to drink about 3 sachets of Pepsi per hour 150ml/sachet plus a squeezie taken with water. This will give you about 60g carbohydrate and 450ml fluid which will keep you sufficiently hydrated and carbo loaded all day. If you just feel thirsty then drink from the water sachets. You can now concentrate on the running. 1. Pace Judgement Pace judgement is all about running the correct speed at the right time. The
Pacing Chart takes care of this important factor in Comrades. There are
allowances for slowing and walking on the registered hills and also for
going faster, for example, on the 7kms downhill into Drummond.
Inevitably as you get more tired in the second half there is a built-in
fatigue factor that caters for probably more walking. Polly’s Shorts
need not to be feared because you can confidently walk all the way up
this cruel hill before jogging the last 8kms to the finish and still
get that safe Bronze. The pacing Charts for the Comrades Up Run.Silver sub-7.30 hours Up Run Click here to download printable version
Bill Rowan sub-9 hours Up Run Click here to download printable version
Compiled by Don
Oliver - 19 medals
Bronze Sub-10 hours Up Run Click here to download printale version
Bronze Sub-11 hours Up Run Click here to download printable version
Vic Clapham Sub-12 hours Up Run Click here to download printable version
There
is an old saying that the best way to run Comrades is "To start slowly
and get slower!” If you study the results books that contain the names
and splits of the successful runners, you will see that this is the way
to get a medal. Split the run up into biteable bits or chewable chunks to avoid the thought of how far there is still to go. Most people use the registered hills as landmarks for each section or maybe a town or suburb. The registered hills on the Up Run are given below and are major obstacles on the way to Pietermaritzburg. The Registered Hills for the Up Run.
There will be signboards showing the name of the hill or area you are in. The first half of Comrades is very hard with endless hills. The correct pace is judged by feeling that you are not putting too much effort into it although you are maintaining a steady relaxed pace up the hills. You have only so much effort available to you for the whole day and it will be a mistake to give too much effort, too early. The long day of hard climbing starts after 4kms as you start going up through Berea Road and pass under the motorway bridges lined with cheering spectators. Cowies comes very early in the race after only 13kms and is hardly noticed because you are so fresh. After Pinetown with 66kms to go you climb on to the motorway to go up Fields Hill which is the first real test of the day. It is best taken with a mixture of walking and running. It has no obvious top but the uphill gradually decreases after about 3,5kms and continues more gradually to Hillcrest. There is an unexpected downhill after Hillcrest before winding up Bothas Hill, which is short and fairly steep. The village of Bothas Hill stretches endlessly until you plunge down into Drummond at halfway. This winding downhill must be taken cautiously to avoid a crunching attack on your quads. The halfway mark is of great importance because your time at halfway gives a very good indication of your likely finishing time. Half way times
Furthermore there are “windows” at halfway to be sure of getting the medal of your dreams. To be too fast through the “window” will probably mean coming to pieces in the second half and even worse, is to be too slow at the halfway “window” not leaving enough time to catch up in the surprisingly tiring second half. The Windows for the Comrades Up Run.
Leaving halfway behind with all the noise, excitement and sense of achievement you stare N’Changa right in the face. Still more than a marathon to go and having climbed endless hills all morning, many just give up and say it is impossible. The Pacing Charts will give you the confidence to walk most of the way up this murderous, unfair hill. The bronze medallist and the Vic Clapham medallists can safely walk the whole way up at 10mins/km. The Bill Rowan hopefuls cannot enjoy such a luxury but can mix frequent walking sections to average 9mins/km which is a dawdle after running just under 6mins/km to halfway. The Harrison Flats are energy sapping and seemingly endless until you enter Cato Ridge and Camperdown after which you reach the highest point of the whole race at the water tower in Umlaas Road with only 17kms to go. This is the time to have something to eat such as a banana, roll or a biscuit. Not many days can you miss lunch and run 65kms as well. Polly’s Shortts holds no fears for most of our runners because the Pacing Chart again allows you to walk all the way up and still get a cherished bronze. With 8kms to go to the finish from the top, you can smell home and however tired you are you will get an extra an unexpected surge of energy to take you to the finish. No need to sprint round the track and get a crippling cramp but savour your arrival at the finish and soak up the applause of the crowd. Tidy yourself up as soon as you eagerly grab the medal and line up for your historic photo. Try to look like a mixture of pride and abject tiredness. Never let any one say you looked as it was all too easy. 2. Time Management. You have purchased 12 hours of race time from Comrades and you are responsible for managing that precious time sensibly. On the day, you will be spending the time walking at 10mins/km, running at 6,0mins/km or stopped at 0kms/hour. Clearly you don’t expect to run all the way without a stop or a walk. Time management is all about handling how much running, walking and stopping you do. To stop is the biggest waste of time and must be limited to pit stops, and rubs. Walking is an important part of Comrades and generally you walk frequently from early on and throughout the day. It is poor tactics to run until you can run no more from sheer exhaustion and then stagger on hoping frantically that you will miss the cut-offs. Running speed is generally at about 6mins/km for a Bronze medal. Tabled below are the mixtures of running/walking you can do and still get a medal.
The balance of the time can be safely spent on stops for Pit Stops and rubs. Time management tells us that the running, walking and stops must be spent in a sensible mixture depending on the route and time of day. Keep going towards Pietermaritzburg all day and you will eventually be well rewarded. Don’t waste time by waiting too long for friends when you are unsure whether they are in front or behind. Don’t chat with spectators, or look at T.V. early in the day to see the winners. Only a short few words being interviewed by the T.V. commentator. Look at the views on the way home tomorrow. If you run a well judged race you will finish with a sense of great pride and a feeling that you would like to come back again next year. Race day. Here are valuable tips for the big Race Day.
External links: Official Comrades Marathon website |
Copyright Don
Oliver 2011