My preparation for my 6th Comrades race
Race-Plan suggestion by my coach
Thank you to my blog readers
Love Big Easy restaurant, at least the food. Some waiters are the most unfriendly I’ve ever come across
Filling up on Friday
Running for the CHOW Chows and winning the “Top Fundraiser” Trophy
We went to the registration, which is always organised in the most efficient way imaginable. Catering for more than 20,000 runners is quite a mission, and every year the Comrades organisers prove they know what they are doing (unlike the folks from the Two Oceans marathon, messing up entering and registration every single year).
Quiet registration area on Friday (Two Oceans Marathon look at that: That’s how you organise a registration venue!)
After receiving my race number, T-shirt, and goody back we strolled along the expo. And of course we also went to the stand of “The CHOC Cows” the charity I ran for this year.
The CHOC Cows
The CHOC Cows is an amazing charity celebrating their 10th anniversary in 2018. They collect donations for CHOC, which is the only charity in South Africa supporting children with cancer and their families. The COWS are quite famous in South Africa by racing at bicycle and running events in cow costumes.
Read more about the cows on their website: The CHOC Cows. This year was their first year as an official Comrades charity, and I opted to collect donations for them.
I urged a few of my overseas clients (companies like digatus and FITX) to make some substantial donations and also received very gracious donations from individuals, for which I am extremely grateful.
In the end I managed to collect almost R 80,000 (approx. EUR 4,500), putting me on 4th position in the overall ranking of charity runners for Comrades. The almost R 80,000 where the biggest amount collected for The Cows, while the 3 runners ahead of me collected donations for other organisations.
At the booth of The Cows I was quite surprised, when they welcomed me with open arms, hearts, and a trophy…
Totally surprised receiving the award
Happy cow with top fundraiser award
Richard (on the right, one of the founders of the COWS, my wife Silke and I)
Richards calf: going for his 10th Comrades as a cow
Richards other calf: Love living life
A flyer for a funeral plan was part of the goodie bag. I must say that’s the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen in a goodie bag!
Last run before race day
The day before race day: Usual program of sleeping long, short 3 km run on the beachfront, seeing thousands of other Comrades runners and enjoying the sun. Followed by breakfast and resting the legs at the hotel pool.
My wife and I doing a short run the day before the race
Beautiful art work at the Durban promenade
At the Durban promenade, 1 day ahead of the race, with thousands of other runners
Getting to the start (driving from Durban to Pietermaritzburg)
Since it was a down run, the start was in Pietermaritzburg. For the first time we decided to stay in Durban and drive to the start in the early morning.
Yep, 1 am alarm clock
Yep, 1 am wake up call is what I mean by early morning 🙂
Everything was packed of course, and I didn’t have breakfast at that time. I just fetched some coffee for my wife and me from the restaurant at the hotel, prepared a thermos flask with coffee for the breakfast later, and off we went.
After 500 m on the road we saw hundreds of runners on their way to the bus stop for their ride to the start.
One idiot of a bus driver blocked a 4 lane road (!) and we had to squeeze through a tiny gap between his bus and parked cars. I have no idea what this idiot was thinking – I trust he wasn’t thinking at all. But that gave us a first quick adrenalin rush at 2am. The drive to the start was easy, very little traffic and we arrived even before 3am at the start. During the ride and after parking I had breakfast, a coffee, and time for a 1 hour nap in the car. At around 4:30 I left the car and went into my seeding pen, covered in a pyjama due to the cold morning in PMB.
First 30 km
I started the race and paid close attention to my pace. The goal was to be conservative during the first half and run at about 6 min/km. I also started walking early to avoid losing to much energy on the uphills. I felt quite strong all the time and on the downhill sections I was able to make up the time I lost on the downhills without being too fast.
First 30 km elevation chart (Comrades 2018 down run)
It was a beautiful morning and right from the beginning I was supported by constant “moooooooh” from the spectators, honouring my run for The Cows. That was really special and I never had expected that. It’s amazing how every single “moooooh” takes away your mind from the running and makes it easier. I always thanked the supporters and was grateful for their encouragement.
I completed the first 30 km in 3 h 05 min, almost in plan.
Here comes the cow
Keep on moving
“I like to mooooove it mooooooove it”…. first experience running as a cow
Second 30 km
The second 30 km went well, but I started to fall behind my schedule. There were quite some longe uphills where my average pace dropped significantly and I wasn’t sure if I would be able to make up for that in the end.
Second 30 km elevation chart (Comrades 2018 down run)
But I also knew, that if I would run harder now, I would pay for it later. I simply wasn’t strong enough based on the training prior to the race.
Short shootout to CP, one of the readers of this blog, who approached me during one of those uphill sections and we chatted for a while.
I arrived at the half way mark of 45 km with some 6-7 min behind the schedule of a sub 9h finish. Not ideal, but with a perfect second half the goal was still within reach.
I completed the 60 km in 6h 10 min, meaning my 2nd 30 km were as fast as my first. Which is good in general, but not perfect at Comrades, since especially after the half way mark there are not that many uphills any more and I should have been able to make up some time… Well I was still in a very good mood.
My wife and I during the race. The cow-ballon was very helpful for me to spot her while running
Axel and Silke Cows
Intense Cow-Support
As you can tell from the pictures: I had a good time and enjoyed the race. I told you already about the incredible support for all of us cows, and this made the race so much more fun!
Great support along the route
High five to my Dutch running friends
That’s how I thanked everyone who supported me by singing “I like to move it” or just making “mooooooooohhhh”
The traditional running picture with Marco 🙂
Yep, of course I met my friend Marco from Holland again on the route where he took the traditional running picture of the two of us again. Always great seeing you, Marco!
Very good tradition: Marco (Two Rivers Marathon) and I on the route of 2018 Comrades Marathon
Final 30 km
Final 30 km elevation chart (Comrades 2018 down run)
Passing the previous finish
The stadium in the background, the cow in the front
Atmosphere at the new stadium
The stadium looks impressive from the outside and from the inside. But it is HUGE with it’s capacity of more than 60,000 spectators.
Unfortunately, when you finish after 9 h and 15 min, there are not many spectators around – 80% of the field is still running… Therefore the atmosphere at the new stadium was…
…almost not existent. And that was quite different at the old venue, where the support was amazing even when finishing early.
After receiving your medal you have to leave the inner area of the stadium immediately and you move through the tunnels and ugly parts of such a stadium, climbing lots of stairs… Not exactly what you’d like to do after running for 90 km.
I don’t want to rant to much about the stadium. I don’t like it.
Axel at the 2018 Comrades finish
So, I finished in 9h 15 min 44 sec.
Not exactly what I wished for, but rather what I worked for and was fit enough to achieve. I am grateful to finish healthy and happy as a proud cow 😉 .
It’s still a PB on a down run (previous PB was 9h 26 min), and it was the longest run ever.
The stadium in the background, the cow in the front
Pushing a legend: Richard on his final km
You remember Richard, the guy with the amazing tattoos on his calfs.
Well, after my finish I met lots of friends from the Netherlands at the international area, then I moved over to the first class hospitality of my running club AAC, and then my wife and I started walking back to the hotel, approximately 45 min before the end of the race. It was about 2.5 km to walk…
On our way back we saw all the runners coming towards the stadium.
When we were about 1 or 1.5 km away from the stadium and with approximately 15 min before cut off (12 hours), I spotted Richard. He looked destroyed, to say it nicely. He was done. He could only walk slowly.
And I knew, if he wouldn’t commence running slowly, he would not make it, he would not get his well deserved green number (I get goosebumps while writing this).
Devastated Richard on his final km
As a runner myself I knew, now it was mind over matter. Of course he could still run, only his mind told him that he couldn’t.
So, while I was wearing flip-flops, I left my wife at the side of the road and told him to start running together with me. He started, but too fast, so I held him back slightly. For maybe 100 or 200 m I ran next to him and he had to promise to me that he would carry on until he reaches the finish.
Later he wrote a post that a few hundred meters later another cow saw him and also assisted him.
And this was the result…
HE MADE IT!!!
Richard, I am so proud of you!
Another incredible Comrades story: The guy with the crutch…
Comrades is full with incredible stories. Let me share another one with you…
Before you watch the video…
…think about something you believe you are not able to do. Something you’d really love doing, love achieving, but you believe that things are just not right.
Now watch this video and try not to get wet eyes…
Hilton Hotel Durban tradition: Ice bath
The Hilton Hotel in Durban is always my go-to place when running Comrades. Every year they add a little twist here and there for us runners, this year they had a professional looking first aid station next to the ice cube box. I still remember 2010, when there was nothing like this and I ordered ice cubes from room service 🙂
The “medical team” at Hilton Hotel Durban
Ice cubes, ice spray, bandages, and more at the Hilton Hotel Durban after the race. Amazing!
My race nutrition
No major changes to my race nutrition. If you want to get more details about my nutrition, just look at some of my older posts.
My food packages (pizza rolls, date balls, and coconut water; pizza leftover from dinner prior to the race is missing on the picture)
Coconut water – one of the best, refreshing, and replenishing drinks you can have during a race
Some pizza leftover, also for my food packages for the race
If you like my blog, please support me on my Comrades 2019 fundraising
May I ask you a favour?
If you really like my blog, I would really appreciate any sort of donation for my fundraising for The Cows at Comrades 2019.
Please follow this link, and every donation is highly appreciated – 5 Euro, 77 Euro, 500 US$, 700 ZAR, … whatever you can afford will help kids with cancer and their families to go through the toughest time of their lives. Running Comrades is nothing compared to what they go through.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH for your donation
Click here >>>>> https://www.givengain.com/ap/axelcomrades2019/
Final remarks about my 2018 Comrades
I enjoyed every part of this race and if I can only recommend running such a race for more than yourself.
Find a charity, a cause, a reason you are running for.
I am going to revisit my training strategy, continue working with my strength coach and running coach and aim for a sub 9 h finish in 2019 again. As a cow, of course.
