In this episode of the Podcast It's a long road I will describe to you what it is like to run in South Africa, the 86 km Comrades Marathon, the oldest and longest race long distance of the world. A race that filled me with experiences, images and feelings that will forever be etched in my mind. Enjoy it and experience it with me!
Hello my friends,
Everything is moments in our life. Some small and seemingly insignificant and others important and great. But all of them have value and with all moments we should be happy and take advantage of them. In advance we cannot assess 100% the magnitude of the value of each moment so we must always give due importance to all of them. In fact, personally, I consider my small moments much more important than my big ones because in the big moments you are, I would say, a little prepared and often tense I can say.
But it is from the small moments and through them that I gained a lot and they changed me many times, I would even say my life itself, my future and the way I think, they are the ones that brought me the big moments. It is this small, simple, short thing that can change your life. As long as you are not afraid to expose yourself and sometimes take risks.
A simple meeting of a person, a small event, a setback can often be the reason for big changes in your life. So at least it has happened to me in many different aspects of my life and if you think about it, you too will see that through some small and sometimes insignificant at first glance events, they were able to change you and turn many things in your life upside down.
That's why I say that we should always not close any door and never be negative about something, because as I've said before there are no right and wrong decisions, there are simply only decisions, the results of which we can always judge at a later time.
For example, I have seen many people initially negative about certain things, but along the way they have regretted and finally changed. I, for example, do not consider anything absolute and believe that I always have something to gain from every situation. For example, some people have said things like "I didn't come here to make friends. I have quite a few in my life”, parenthesis…. (you know, they don't have friends...) another say good morning and he replies "where did you see her?", another says "I am absolute on this matter and I don't raise a conversation". In general, I can't do this absolute, certain, nonsense, nihilism in general. Always keep the doors open. The doors of your mind, but also of your soul. Great things come out of nowhere, your best friends come out of nowhere, personal growth comes out of nowhere. There is always room for something new, for something that will excite you. And many times it doesn't have to be something material, but it can be a person.
In this case, once such a simple moment for me was an article in a magazine and I started them 6 Majors, but this time a simple post by a friend on Facebook on June 13, 2023 was able to give me the next goal, the next step, the next challenge of my life!
To run a year later on 09 June 2024 the Comrades Matathon the most crowded race long distance of the planet, where in 2023 the finishers were a total of 15,000 runners from 70 countries!
A race on the other side of the earth, in South Africa!
In general, I have talked about traveling several times and you know how much they excite me and I like them. I've been to quite a few places around the world, the last few years mostly to run a race. I was going to Africa for the first time, let alone to its southernmost tip, to a country that just by hearing about it, your imagination about what you will encounter runs wild and creates images and scenarios.
I immediately searched to see what is going on, how you can run there and in general if other Greeks have run in this race. Searching a little through the official site of the event, I found that I met the criteria and that until 2023 only one Greek had run this race, but downhill. You see, one of the peculiarities of this race is that one year the downhill course takes place and the next the uphill course. Unfortunately, if I wanted to run in 2024, I would have to run the uphill route of 86 kilometers. The race is from the city of Durban to the city of Pietermaritzburg.
Registration for this competition opens in November and the entry criteria are not strict, as you must have completed marathon race in less than 4 hours and 50 minutes. 2019 had 25000 entries and registrations were completed in just one week! As soon as I registered and was accepted, my first move was to book tickets and a hotel, since so many other thousands would do the same and it makes sense that the prices would rise. However, the plane ticket is not cheap, while the travel hours are very long. Of course, in this part I also had a small adventure and in fact due to my own carelessness I was charged even more in the price of the ticket. Details with all costs I will tell you towards the end of the episode.
So with my own plan I would leave Thessaloniki on Thursday to arrive on a direct flight from Istanbul to Durban, South Africa the next morning. I even paid a bit more and got seats with more legroom for better comfort. The race started Sunday morning at 5.30, so I would have Friday and Saturday to acclimatize even better in this new country.
But then at some point I received an email from the airline to change the flight by 5 minutes which I accepted and then another email to change the flight again by 5 minutes which I also accepted. In the second email, however, due to haste, I did not notice that the original flight was moved by two days, resulting in my arrival at the same time, but on Sunday, the day of the match. I had accepted this change and unfortunately after I realized it I canceled the ticket, ate a change fine and lost the good seats and everything went wrong. Aman I say we did not start well…. I paid extra for seats and re-ticketing and with the new data after this mess I was arriving in Johannesburg not Durban on Saturday at 10am and then had to find another domestic flight to finally arrive in Durban at 2pm , which was incredibly difficult for me for 2 reasons.
Firstly the match exhibition to get the number closed at 4pm and I barely had to go there to collect the number and secondly I had no time to rest as the match was a few hours later!
For the exhibition and the number which was the most important, I got in touch with the other Greek who would also run the race and that was Kostas Flevas, the only Greek who ever ran it and would run for the 2nd year in a row. After first contacting the organization to get the OK, I asked him if he could get the race number instead of me so that I don't have the stress of the last minute, which he did and I publicly thank him for that.
Kostas Flevas is 47 years old, an amazing runner with a lot of experience and lives permanently in England. He has traveled to participate in some Marathon race in many places around the world. He is a member of the English Club 100 Marathon Club, which lists over 800 members, a club that to enter you must have proven to have run more than 100 Marathons, which Kostas has done after having run a total of close to 300 Marathons!
Race planning for 2024 started relatively early somewhere before the end of 2023. My big goals were two. First and best Spartathlon that I hoped to be one of the 50 Greeks who would run it, which, however, from the draw that took place on March 24, did not work out, so we went for 2025. My second goal would be the Comrades Marathon, a race long distance him too. Some other smaller races that I would run in between would be of a training nature and would be used for my best preparation.
Even in June when I was going to run Comrades I ran on March 31st a half marathon in Cyprus in Ayia Napa at a training pace, in highway in Serres on April 6 in the 6-hour race covering 64 kilometers, and on April 21 in the Marathon of Thessaloniki at a purely training pace.
A month ago I started planning this trip, starting mainly with the weather. From June to August they have winter, of course with high temperatures. In Cape Town, which is in the southwest, the temperatures play between 14 and 19 degrees. In Durban which is on the eastern side, on the side of the Indian Ocean the temperatures in June are on average from 11 to 24 degrees. Here the hottest month is February and the coldest is July. In general I expected the temperatures to be tolerable.
The volume of kilometers during my preparation was relatively high and ranged from 80 to 110 kilometers per week including the various races I had of a training nature. In general, and as I have said before, my biggest concern is not the race itself, but the preparation to go smoothly and without problems. Fortunately for me everything went as planned and despite the high volume of kilometers I had no issues.
As part of the entire preparation, of course, there was strengthening twice a week, but also plenty of stretching at the end of each training session, which I personally consider to be one of the most important things and from experience they have helped me incredibly! That's why at the end of training, don't neglect stretching!
So my preparation and the program that came out from my coach Basil Onion, it was based on the fact that we had a target race ahead of us, Ultra, so the training was similar. Overall I ran like long runs (Long Run), the race on the Serres highway on April 5th where I covered 64 kilometers in 6 hours, on April 21st the Marathon of Thessaloniki where I was a pacer for those who wanted to break 4 hours, and I generally had 3 very big ones Long Run one 5 hours, one 4.30 hours and one 4 hours which all came out close to a pace of 5.20 which meant about 50 thousand kilometers each.
To get a more detailed taste of my training program I will start from the race on Serres of 6 hours that took place on Saturday, April 5. From the following week onwards we had the following:
9 weeks ago: Just 4 trainings since I was coming from a race, with a total training duration of 4 hours all at an aerobic pace, with a Long Run on Sunday 1h 20.
8 weeks before: 4 training sessions in total with the Thessaloniki Marathon on Sunday. Total training hours were about 9. 2 were intervals with one uphill, one aerobic run and one tempo aerobic.
7 weeks before: 5 training sessions totaling 6.30 hours with a Long Run on Sunday 2 hours on an uphill course. The rest of the workouts were one interval, one uphill and another two on aerobic pace.
6 weeks before: 5 total training sessions of a total duration of 8 hours and 50' with a Long Run on M. Saturday 4 hours. The rest of the workouts were one uphill interval, one uphill tempo, one aerobic and one relaxed.
5 weeks ago: Since I was away on a family trip to England, I only did 3 training sessions in order to keep up.
4 weeks ago: 5 total training sessions of a total duration of 9 hours and 20' with a Long Run on Sunday 4.30 hours at an aerobic-relaxed pace which for me was somewhere around 5.20. The remaining workouts were two intervals with one uphill, one tempo uphill and one relaxed.
3 weeks ago: 5 total training sessions of a total duration of 7 hours with a Long Run on Sunday 2.30 hours at an aerobic-relaxed pace which for me was somewhere around 5.20. The remaining workouts were an uphill interval, an increasing intensity, a tempo uphill and a relaxed one.
2 weeks ago: 5 total training sessions of a total duration of 6.30 hours with Long Run on Sunday 1.30 hours at an aerobic-relaxed pace which for me was somewhere around 5.20. The remaining workouts were an uphill interval, an increasing intensity, a tempo uphill and a relaxed one.
During the week of the race, I did just 2 training sessions of a total duration of 1 hour and 40'.
So that's how my training preparation went. Lots of kilometers and lots of uphills.
The days went by and I admit I couldn't wait to get on the plane, which finally happened on June 7th. In the morning I was working normally in Kosovo, so with the end of my work and with the corresponding anxiety I immediately left for Greece by road, quickly home to take the suitcase with the things and immediately to the airport where my flight to Johannesburg via Istanbul was at 9 in the evening , where I would wait 3 hours for the next long flight of 11 hours. Everything eventually went well and on time and so did the last local airline flight from Johannesburg to Durban and in total after 20 hours of hassle and in planes or waiting rooms I arrived on Saturday at 2pm in Durban. I immediately took a taxi and made it to the race EXPO, although as I mentioned before I wasn't worried about the race number, which would be waiting for me at my hotel. The race bag was the richest bag I've ever gotten in any race I've run. He had his match shirt which was great. He had a multi-page magazine, a good quality arm holster for his mobile phone, a good quality bandana, impressive race running socks with all over print, a very good quality race cap, a pair of compression sleeves, a gel pack, a soft drink, a cream, a shampoo, a deodorant, a bottle of water, a bag of rice, and two bags of oats.
EXPO lived up to the name of the competition. It had a lot of exhibitors with a lot of racing products, a lot of people, but a lot of clothing from the official sponsor of the race was in short supply, logical I would say since it was a few hours until the exhibition closed. For the record here, let me say that the Athens exhibition continues to remain the number one exhibition for me in the world!
There at the EXPO I started to get into a race mood, since I was now seeing hundreds of runners from every corner of the world. I met the same at the airport, with the last athletes and especially from the rest of the African countries coming to Durban, and the controllers at the airport asked me if I came for the race and wished me good luck.
At the exhibition I sat down to eat something, did a little shopping and left on foot to my hotel to prepare my things for the race and to rest a little or at least as long as I could.
I followed a specific plan carbohydrate again, which I have mentioned in previous episodes and closing the day with some buns and rice wafers, I prepared all my things for the race because he woke up at 2:30 in the morning, since the race we said started at 5:30 in the morning of Sunday.
The first Comrades race was run on Empire Day 24th May 1921 by WW1 veteran Vic Clapham, when 34 runners lined up in front of Pietermaritzburg Town Hall to honor the soldiers lost in the war. 16 runners finished then. It has been held continuously since then with the sole exception of the period of the 2nd World War (1941-1945), but also in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19, while in recent years it has consistently hosted more than 15,000 runners as it has taken on legendary proportions.
As we said it is the oldest and most popular long-distance race in the world and for that it has its own glory. The Comrades Marathon is a race that unites the South African cities of Durban and Pietermaritzburg. In fact, as I said before, every year the direction of the route changes, so one year it starts from Durban and ends in Pietermaritzburg and the next the opposite.
This year, it was an "Up" year as the race started from Durban and had a distance of approximately 87.6 kilometers, since otherwise the distance is 87.7 kilometers ("down"). In fact, for this reason the organizers keep separate records for the "Up" and "Down" events. But this year, another peculiarity is that the route was shortened a little since some works were being done along the route, so for the first time it would be a distance of 85.91 kilometers.
On the Up route there is a finish limit of 12 hours and on the route there are five checkpoints which everyone must pass in a certain time, otherwise they are out. I didn't bother much with the checkpoints, since based on my race plan and if everything went well, I wouldn't have any issues anywhere. For most runners, however, these points are particularly important.
In the Comrades Marathon, different rules also apply to the awarding of medals. So the top 10 get a gold medal, those who finish 11th to 6 hours win a silver medal with a gold casing, silver those who finish between 6 and 7:30 hours, bronze with a silver casing those who pass the finish line from 7:30 to 9 o'clock, from titanium those who will finish from 9 to 10 o'clock and bronze those from 10 to 11 o'clock. Finally, the rest from 11 to 12 hours receive a different medal. To date over 300,000 runners have completed this race.
In the race, a runner who has successfully completed nine marathons wears a yellow number, while those who have completed ten races wear a green number, which is permanently given to the runner for all future races. Runners running their 20th, 30th and 40th races also have yellow numbers – differently formatted in different years.
The Comrades route is in the KwaZulu-Natal region of South Africa and goes through the valley of a thousand hills with the set of 5 big hills (Big Five Hills) in order for the Up route are Cowies Hill, Fields Hill, Botha's Hill, Inchanga and Polly Shortts. The highest point of the route is at 870 meters above sea level. In total it has 48 filling stations, which means somewhere every 2 kilometers and less. A key element needed for the feeding plan. At each station he would have water sachets, energy drinks in sachets, coke, boiled potatoes, oranges and bananas. In essence, if you take advantage of the stations, you don't need to carry anything with you.
The route is steeped in history – in the 19th century, the British army, the Boers and the Zulus clashed in a series of bloody skirmishes on the five hills.
The match is of great importance in South Africa, with the entire event being broadcast for 12 hours straight on national television.
The hotel I was staying at and because it was full of runners who of course came for the same reason, they informed me that they would serve us breakfast from 2:30 in the morning, so after I woke up and got ready, I went down to breakfast, where many others were gathered runners. I could make out many countries but mostly African and of course once again I tried to observe what everyone was eating. So once again I saw them eating sausages, omelets, beans, fruit, yogurts and generally anything you can imagine. Me faithful to mine protocol I ate 2 slices of bread with honey, a banana and some orange and slowly headed to the start of the race, a distance of about 20 minutes walking. I would also have an energy bar with me that I would eat a few hours before the start of the race.
It was dark outside, but there were so many people and so many runners heading to the same place, and two Africans caught up with me and we walked together to the start. They had run 7 times each this race so I tried to get as much information as possible. The love I saw from these two runners for this race was incredible, and their excitement to line up once again was palpable!
I went to the start of the race very early and had time to hand over my bag that I would receive at the finish. The temperature was very good, a little on the cold side I would say, since it must have been close to 11 degrees. In general, from what I saw of the weather, the temperature would reach around 23 degrees at noon.
I went to the start of the race about 2 hours earlier and that's because I wanted to live every minute from very early on, since I like to observe the runners and in general I wanted to absorb as many images and situations as I could.
I was in the 2nd starting block B, right behind the elite athletes. There were 8 blocks in total and they were all very simply and very well fenced with only one entry point in each so there was no way anyone could get into a different block.
A bunch of South African runners jogged along, singing some local songs. I was impressed that 1.30 hours before the race there were some athletes who had already started their warm-up, but also in general the vitality and joy they had and it was visible through the singing and dancing that did not stop for a minute.
Slowly the runners started to gather, I took lots of photos and videos and I also entered the block to get ready and 15 minutes before the start of the race I got the one and only jelly that I had with me for the race. It was still dark, but the loud music, the vibrancy of the athletes, the smiles, the teasing I could see, the strong spotlights and photorhythms kept us alert and it was amazing to see so many happy runners who know they will suffer in the next few hours running 86 kilometers. Everyone's enthusiasm was palpable and if nothing else it positively carried you along!
5 minutes before the start, the ritual of the match started, which is the same every year. He opened with the song 'Shosholoza', with the crowd erupting in cheers. It's an old Zulu mining song and its title means, roughly, 'Go on. Move faster in these mountains.'' Chariots of Fire, "The roads of fire" by Vangelis Papathanasiou followed with loud cheers from the crowd, eagerly awaiting the next trademark of the match, the crowing of the rooster, one of the oldest customs of this match, which in essence also signifies the inception.
We heard the shot to start the race and to the loud music of 'The eye of the tiger' all the runners poured out to cover the 86km of the course.
A shiver went through my whole body and I was moved as soon as I crossed the starting line. The race was beginning, my big goal was beginning, another journey was beginning, the hardest part of which I had just gotten over. I knew I would finish the fight. I would just aim for a time under 9 hours to get the different medal as well. I got excited, but my mind relaxed. The tightness is gone, the worries and concerns I had in it are gone. I left myself to the flow of the world with the ultimate goal now to enjoy the race. To enjoy every second until the finish. To enjoy the other runners. To enjoy the scenery and the unprecedented for me experience of running outside in nature, there in South Africa, on the other side of the world.
Yes it is my friends! Then I relax and then I start to enjoy it. Until then I have concerns and scruples that have to do with everything! Before such a big target race, I have so many things to think about. By planning the trip, tickets, hotels, registration, my preparation with long hours of training and making it go well and without problems, studying for the race and catering, long hours of travel and everything going well and reach the destination and stand at the starting line. But all that had now passed. I no longer cared. Nothing bothered me. I wanted to enjoy it! I really felt like I was flying in the sky with my joy! I was thinking that I had succeeded and that I was just one step closer to my final goal.
A step of 86 kilometers!
The people were many, thousands, but the streets were wide. At no point was I bothered or disturbed and generally I was able to run comfortably at my own pace.
However, even in the farthest block, you need 5 to 7 minutes to reach the starting point. Not such a big deal.
The excitement from the people and the crowd should not get you carried away in the first half, because it is the hardest part of the Up route and where you have to maintain your strength and energy. You may have to walk. It's all about self-control and the plan you had in mind from the beginning. If you are smart and control your pace and running in the first half, you will be compensated in the second half. In the beginning the secret is to be careful, relaxed and in control.
The characteristic of this race with this route is the "Big Five", each of the hills is a separate challenge. Of the 5 big hills, 3 are in the first half. From the base of the first hill, Cowies, to the top of Botha's Hill which is the 3rd hill you climb a total of 502m over a distance of just 22km. We are talking about a very steep climb that needs attention.
We said it needs strategy and especially the first half. Basically, in the first 36 kilometers you do almost the largest percentage of the 1759 meters of altitude.
The five hills in order from the starting point are as follows:
Cowie's Hill
Route length: 2.1 km
Height: 100 meters
Distance from the starting point: 15 kilometers
Difficulty 2/10
Field's Hill
Route length: 3.2 km
Height: 185 meters
Distance from the starting point: 22 kilometers
Difficulty 6.5/10
Botha's Hill
Route length: 2.3 km
Height: 117 meters
Distance from the starting point: 35 kilometers
Difficulty 5/10
Inchanga
Route length: 2.5 km
Height: 140 meters
Distance from the starting point: 45 kilometers
Difficulty 8/10
Polly Shortts
Route length: 1.8 km
Height: 120 meters
Distance from the starting point: 79 kilometers
Difficulty 9/10
At 5 kilometers you reach the Tollgate Bridge. After 4 lanes it becomes 2 and it is somewhat crowded, but not annoying.
My time in the first 5.5 kilometers was 31:10
Then you drive to Westville and it slowly begins to carve. It has a continuous uphill at km 14, 15 and 16. Until you reach Cowies hill, the first of the 5 hills you will encounter on the route. It's no big deal, but compared to what's to come – just a sharp turn and a long, gradual upward slope. We said difficulty level 2/10 and it's just the beginning. I don't walk here at all, because it's relatively early and there's no particular reason.
A few more kilometers to his point half marathon.
The weather is starting to warm up and now the sun is coming out. A bright sun rises, bathing the verdant countryside in brilliant colors.
I completed the half marathon in 01:58 with an average pace of 05:40. I'm in no rush at all.
Then there is Fields Hill which is a big hill and starts about 21km from the start. It is long and very steep. Some here started to walk apparently not because they were tired, but to save energy for the continuation. A common thing they do here is that some people cling to hares or otherwise pacers, although here in this race they are called "buses". So here it's like getting on a bus, which has its own driver.
Field's Hill
Route length: 3.2 km
Height: 185 meters
Distance from the starting point: 22 kilometers
Difficulty 6.5/10
At 29.6km you pass Winston Park, where I had a 02:50 pass and then it's Hill Crest, probably one of the best and most beautiful and spectacular spots not only of this race but of any race I've ever run, but and the only flat I would call the point of the whole race.
Then we have Botha's Hill in front of us, where before the top you will meet Kearnsney College, where you will see on the right and left of the road the students dressed in school clothes cheering and being particularly demonstrative.
Botha's Hill
Route length: 2.3 km
Height: 117 meters
Distance from the starting point: 35 kilometers
Difficulty 5/10
But then you are compensated after you have passed the 36th kilometer and you know that you have completed the most difficult part of the route.
From 36 to 43 it's downhill and you know you've just covered a marathon. You arrive at the Arthur Seat and you have to leave a flower (which they give you a few meters before you arrive from the event) and say "Good morning sir" or "Good morning Arthur" or they say you will have bad luck in the second half of the race. Many even sit in line for a long time to do this. Arthur's Seat is reputed to be a favorite resting spot for 5-time Comrades Marathon winner Arthur Newton. Legend has it that runners who salute Arthur and place a flower in his place will enjoy a successful second half.
You reach the small town of Drummond which is also the halfway point. It's really a mess there and it also has cameras from the live broadcast of the match. It's basically one of the biggest feeding stations, with balloons, water, music I've ever seen. It is at least 200 meters from start to finish. Here I am at 09:41 in the morning, I'm already 4 hours and 11 minutes on the road and generally feeling in pretty good shape.
I drink some Coke, eat half a baked potato (a Comrades specialty) which I really loved.
In general, I mentioned at the beginning that the race had a total of 48 stations power supply, while in between and throughout the route the locals had their own improvised food stations with lots of sweet and savory and everything you can imagine.
I confess that what I really liked were the boiled potatoes with salt. I didn't miss the opportunity to eat a little each time, while I often supplemented with bananas, oranges and some crackers.
But the biggest innovation at the stations and which I really liked were the waters and isotonic drinks. Isotonically they had two flavors and together with the waters they were all in bags. Yes, they had water in bags and at all the stations, whatever you got was frozen. I confess that at the first station I got water in a bag I didn't know how to open it and it forced me, but when I learned that you have to make a small tear with your teeth, from then on the water was a pleasure and the best water I've ever had in a race ! It's one thing to describe it to you and another to see and drink it. Better even than bottles.
Also all 48 feed stations were each one big music stage with loud music, great pulse, lots of volunteers and hundreds of smiling and excited spectators!
I am mentally preparing for the biggest obstacle for many: Inchanga hill which is considered particularly difficult and strenuous with a difficulty level of 8/10.
Inchanga
Route length: 2.5 km
Height: 140 meters
Distance from the starting point: 45 kilometers
Difficulty 8/10
I now see in front of me the black zig-zag asphalt rising like a snake towards the top and hundreds of runners in front of me, some running and many now walking. The degree of difficulty is high and I tell myself that I still have to keep my strength because I am expected to meet the last hill, Polly Shorts. Some parts of this steep uphill of 2.5 kilometers I now walked, after consulting my watch and seeing that I was in a very good part of the race and with a very good average pace. I didn't need to push any further.
Slowly and excruciatingly the big skopelos of the 4th difficult hill was passed and then it is downhill for about 2.5 kilometers where you reach the village of the same name Inchanga. There on the downhill I tried to go a little faster to gain as much time as I had from the uphill.
Then there is the Ethembeni ('Place of Hope') school with mobility impaired children and PWDs sitting either on the floor or in their wheelchairs, or with canes and crutches and they are on the road to greet the runners. No runner, no matter how tired, can pass here without reflecting on how lucky they are and recognizing their own good fortune to be able to run. I high-five with as many children as I can, who in turn were very happy and it was evident in their actions as well as in their faces.
Then I got to Cato Ridge, basically 30km from the finish where it was getting crowded. I was there at the 56.6 kilometer mark of the race at 11:11 in the morning, with a time of 05:41. With only 30km to go, the thought crossed my mind, ok what am I supposed to do? Like I just started him round the lake of Ioannina.
The route continues to be uphill and at UMLAAS Road you reach the highest point of the route at 830 meters and you know that you only have 21 kilometers to the finish. A single half marathon. That's how big races are divided in my mind. First you say to finish the first half marathon, then you put in mind when you will close with the Marathon distance. Then I said to myself, come on what's left, just another Marathon at a training pace. Later, adding up the kilometers, you get to say come on, there's only one half marathon left, and then dropping the distance to the end in single digits, for me, the race is over.
From there it is downhill for about 7 kilometers. If you're chasing time here is a good spot to pick up a little more speed, which I did as I picked up my pace, knowing I'd soon meet Polly Shorts on the last big hill. Of course, an unpleasant surprise awaits you here, since before the main Polly Shorts hill, there is another slightly smaller Little Polly Shorts and most people think it is the big one, but they are bitterly disappointed when they pass it and then the normal hill awaits them at the most difficult point of the match.
Polly Shorts everyone is afraid of!
It has a length of route: 1.8 km
Height: 120 meters
Distance from the starting point: 79 kilometers
Difficulty 9/10
I half walk, half run my Little Polly Shorts and I'm ready to face the beast. There on the side of the road is a group of locals who are constantly singing and trying to push the athletes, with dancing and singing. It really leaves you speechless when you see these people being there for hours in the middle of the day under the hot sun doing all this for the athletes! If nothing else you feel grateful!
A large sign at the bottom of Polly Shorts announces the entrance. I look up and in front of me is the steepest hill of the day, rising steeply up until it's out of sight. I see hundreds of runners. Everyone is walking. There's no way I'm running Polly Shortts. I know it's about 2 kilometers and I tell myself I'm not even going to bother running a single meter. I was fine for a while. I had no problem. I calculated at the average pace to finish under 9 hours, if only marginally. This hill, if you exclude the top ten athletes for example, everyone else is walking it for the most part.
There I was impressed by some older runners who passed me even while walking and I saw above their number, a smaller number which was 37. Above the number worn by each athlete in another small box was a number indicating how many times you have run this race. For me it said 0, but for some I saw it said up to 37! Incredible to see someone who ran this race 37 times, that's 37 years, when I knew someone would be running for the 50th time!
I walk every step of Polly Shorts until I reach the top. I spread my arms wide to the horizon looking up at the sky. The race was over for me there! There was no more uphill and I was only 6km downhill before the finish. Only 6 kilometers! I say to myself "Dude, you don't even go out for 6km for training" and I give it all I have in my mental and physical reserves for a final 6km sprint.
As I run thinking I'm only a few kilometers before the finish line I can't hold back and get wet. I clenched my fist! That was it and I would finish in a little while. It really is incredible how strong you feel after 9 hours of running and even though you are exhausted. You feel like nothing and no one can stop you from crossing the finish line. Of course, what I always say is that all races, regardless of distance, are excruciatingly difficult and impatient to finish in the last kilometers.
I had this image in my mind. To terminate. To finish with the flag high in the sky, as high as I could. Let everyone see that the Greek finishes. Let everyone see the flag and how proud I felt! The flag I've been carrying around in my pocket all along, it's finally time to take it out and fly it!
A kilometer before the end of the race, I hear the first faint sounds from the finish line announcer. The flag went high in the sky and I was sailing in a sea of happiness. Lots of people on the side of the road. Many recognized the flag and called me "Go Greece", "Come on Greece". I felt what all runners feel when we finish and the crowd is cheering. Even though there are so many others running with you, you feel this uniqueness, you feel that all eyes are fixed on you, you feel that this whole world came just for you. You feel proud, you feel unique, you feel incredibly beautiful, even more so when you know that in a sense you are representing your own country.
I enter the stadium, there are many people in the stands. Just before me, the bus with the 9 hour driver ends and all together the group of about 30 athletes hug and burst into tears and laughter at the same time. Most embrace their Pacer. Their hare, their guide. The runner who drove his bus perfectly for 9 hours.
Somewhere behind all of them I finish with tears in my eyes. It's incredible what emotions sports can give you. It's incredible how a race and a finish can make you feel. Cry and laugh at the same time! And the bigger and harder it is, it gives even more value to your own personal achievement!
So there in South Africa, on the other side of the world I felt in heaven finishing at 14:28 in the afternoon with a clear time of 08 hours 57 minutes and 52 seconds!
I walked 20 meters to get my race medal, but not before I was offered a rose and immediately after one of the volunteers put the medal around my neck, which is also the smallest medal I've ever received, about the size of a two euro.
Here, at the same point after about 3 hours, the most dramatic moment of the run will take place. At exactly 11 hours and 59 minutes on the clock, in a truly electrifying atmosphere, the match director along with the rest of the world will count down and announce the end of the match at exactly 12 o'clock. If you can look for videos of the last seconds of the match and you will really be blown away by what you will see. For exactly 1 second you will see runners failing to cross the finish line. Some others will manage a little before the finish either by crawling, or with the help of others, or by sprinting, but on the other hand some will not be among the finishers, they will not get a medal and let them run, let them try for 12 hours! They are incredible pictures!
A total of 18884 runners started the race. 17313 runners finished 91.68%. 555 runners received medical attention at the finish. 79 runners were taken to the hospital for further care, of which 31 after the finish and 48 during the course.
At the finish I was led with the rest of the international runners to a special area where only foreign runners were allowed to pass and we were given, based on a wristband we wore, two liquids (beer, soft drink or water), a burger and various cookies for the first cravings, to the sounds of a local live percussion band.
My first concern was to get the bag I had left before the start from the same place, to change and immediately after that I drank a cold refreshing beer, while the place also had free Wi-fi for all runners.
I stayed there for some time observing all the other runners who had already finished, hugging each other, smiling, others obviously more tired, but everyone looked relatively well and particularly cheerful, of course it has to do with the level of the athletes, since everyone who was there it meant that they had finished under 9 hours or some newbies who were theoretically coming to have finished must not have been newbies either.
Sta shoes something I noticed throughout the race the most popular companies were ASICS, NIKE and ADIDAS. I saw few HOKA, few SAUCONY, two or three BROOKS and I think nothing else.
Immediately after and after whining a bit, I left the venue to find the many event buses to return back to Durban, since it would be a two-hour drive and it would be late by the time I arrived at the hotel. We said they had winter there and the dawn was late and the night was early.
Inside the bus I got into a conversation until of course I fell asleep with the person next to me, a local runner who was running the race for the 3rd time and in fact the two of us together with 3 other runners from where the buses left us until we went to the beach which was our hotels, we went for safety reasons walking all together in company.
In the evening in a nearby restaurant I ate a nice steak and drank two more beers to go to bed at night.
Monday and Tuesday I would have for walks in Durban, since I hadn't had time to see anything and on Wednesday at noon I would start my return, where I would arrive in Thessaloniki the next day in the morning, somewhere after 20 hours in total.
Throughout my stay there I had no difficulty with communication since everyone spoke English.
Credit cards were used everywhere, even at street vendors.
In terms of attractions, apart from a small museum I saw, an aquarium and a garden, Durban has nothing special, so it's best to either move around or not stay for many days, since now the walks were inside the shopping centers.
They have Umber taxis so calling a taxi but also for safety is best.
The taxi to and from the airport takes about half an hour and costs 12 to 15 euros.
The total cost to participate in this race celebration is between 1500 and 2000 euros. In more detail, the plane ticket costs 700 euros, the participation costs 230 euros and you can find a good hotel for about 80 euros a night. I don't put food as an expense at all, because it's very cheap. In a good Fridays type restaurant that I used to go to, a veal steak, two beers and a salad cost me around 15 euros. A beer costs no more than 2 euros, a steak costs 5 euros, while a glass of whiskey costs 1.5 to 2 euros.
The Comrades Marathon is now a milestone in my running career. I had incredible moments, I lived the ultimate racing experience. I felt the whole time that I was in runner's heaven, I felt that I was lucky and part of a race that all runners should experience at some point. This fight filled me with images and feelings that I will never forget. It scarred me and was etched in my mind in every detail. It redefined me as a runner. It made me revise some things and marked me. It all sounds a bit much, but trust me it's worth every minute of sweat.
Can o Olympios Dromos of the 180 km that I ran in 2023, was my most difficult race so far, but there the kilometers were too many, but Comrades was for me the hardest, most beautiful, but at the same time most fun and enchanting race that I have ever participated in and that left his mark on my temperament.
Of course, don't forget that we are talking about an ultra-distance race, a race of 86 kilometers, so those of you who are thinking of going to enjoy this unique experience, prepare accordingly, because the distance and the race can very easily humiliate you.
Running in the South African countryside, I saw all these beauties and contrasts at the same time. In some places we passed slums and slums, but everyone was happy and having fun, a main characteristic of their culture, but also of the race. We also passed through many rich neighborhoods, where white people with their big houses and cars had barbecues, but they too were there for us and applauded us every second. It strongly reminded me in many places of the American countryside.
Throughout the 86km ride everyone was incredibly supportive and so warm! You felt like everyone came there for you. You felt unique and if nothing else it gave you strength to keep going. 9 hours of running there was no point where I felt alone. They danced and sang, clapped and helped you with all their hearts!
That's what running trips give you. You feel that there are many more out there, other runners who love running even more, who love their race and support it with many incredible achievements. As I said before I met many double digit runners up to 37 that I saw who had run this race. You finally see that the microcosm you were living in has no limits. There are others in the world who have magical races, there are other runners who run every day and train, but are not so crazy about whether they will do an interval run or a long run, whether they will follow a certain program, whether they will wear the best shoes or whether they will have the best equipment. They just love running, love life and don't have all the comforts we have. It's so fantastic to see silhouettes of runners and to wonder how he came to run 86 kilometers, but at the same time to see some who don't fill your eyes and even have a few extra kilos pass you as if stopped on some uphill in 80th kilometer!
It was a celebration of sports, a celebration of the running community like no other. Poor Africans, rich Westerners, nothing counts there. Everyone will feel the same pain, everyone will cover the same kilometers. There is no difference, Sport unites, running makes you similar to your neighbor. We will all sweat the same until the end! All people become one!
See you next year now to do the down route too! Those of you who are faithful come...
Prepare and at some point if you can set the goal and live it, because in closing I will say the following:
You run their races, you live the Comrades Marathon!
Thank you so much for listening to me!
Until next time, Be well be healthy and always do what we love and what makes us feel good.
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Mountain routes of Voritsi 31 August 24, Heraklion Crete
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