It is hard to believe that, as I write this, it is 3 months since this year's Comrades. My run in the recent Sydney Marathon will act as my qualifier for next year and very soon I must stop enjoying the après Comrades slothfulness and start training again. No peace for the wicked.
First, though, a few words about this year's Comrades and an earlier event, the Cradle Mountain Run held in February (85km of tortuous, energy sapping, ankle snapping track).
I first tackled Cradle Mountain with Alf Field and John Ayliffe in 1992 . We were all fit enough on the day but, I for one had failed to recognise the degree to which the terrain could slow you down. Add to that the time we took taking photographs and the 6pm cut off at Narcissus (17 kms around Lake St Clair from the finish) was always going to be tough to meet. It was late in the day that, although relatively fighting (or is that running) fit we realised we wouldn't make 6pm so decided we would pull out there and take the boat to the finish. Just a little late, we arrived at Narcissus at 7.30pm to find only walkers at the hut. The officials, support crews and boat had long gone. However they had left a message. You can get hold of the boat owner using the radio in the hut and he will come and fetch you. We tried this but could not reach anyone - the pub was more inviting than waiting on our call - so we had to settle in for a long and uncomfortable night. The emergency gear and rations we had carried all day proved their worth that night. The boat came at 9.30am the next day to take us to Cynthia Bay and our relieved support crews.
The following year, my wife, Clare and I with John and Sue Hodges walked the track. We started at Lake St Clair on the same day as that year's run so were able to cheer Alf as he settled his score with the track. We took it at a more leisurely pace and finished it in 7 days.
As far as running it is concerned I licked my wounds for a couple of years but, as Alf had already returned and beaten the track, I was forced to return. This I did in 1995 by which time the cut off at Narcissus had been changed to 5pm. Despite good training I had an awful day and was close to pulling out at half way. This meant a long walk anyway so I decided to struggle on and reached Narcissus at 5.40pm in time for the last boat this time. I arrived at the finish in time to see Alf cross the line for the second time.
As part of my training for Comrades this year I decided to give Cradle Mountain another try. Clare had been reviewing past runs and took over the role of chief motivator and coach. We turned up in early February having received a track condition update from Alf who had walked it the week before. Wet and muddy, in fact as bad as it had ever been. Clare would not allow this to deter me and forced me to concentrate on the run - no beers the night before, stay in our room and focus on what was ahead of me etc. A very determined person turned up in the dawn light the next morning and despite some shocking conditions, slightly tempered by the additional wooden board walk that has been built, I am pleased to say all went well. I reached Narcissus at 4.50pm in time to catch my breath, clean muddy feet, repack the back pack and head off around the lake for the final 17kms to the finish in 14hrs 17 mins.
The ghost has been laid to rest and I may retire with a graceful draw. However Alf is still one up on me!!!
I now turned my attention to Comrades. There was a good group of Striders going and we managed some training runs together. Three Striders (Derek Smith, Grahame Murphy and Graham Butler) had opted to stay with hosts in Pietermaritzburg (PMB) which I arranged through Steve and Nan Gray with whom I stay. Lindsay Matthews of the WA Marathon Club was also going to join us in PMB. So nine of us (runners and partners) travelled together (Jonathan Trope, Jim Screen and Roger Rigby were also on the same plane) arriving in Durban on the Friday morning before the run on Monday.
We had arranged a rental VW microbus for the time we were in Natal and we crammed ourselves and our luggage in and headed off to the Comrades Expo to register and take in the atmosphere. We were due in PMB about 1.00pm and headed off a little late. It was now that I blotted my copy book as a tour leader by gettingoff the freeway one exit early, losing my way in PMB, finding it again and then turning right one street too early to find ourselves back on the freeway with the next exit some 10kms further on. To add insult to injury when we did get off of the freeway we could not take it back again as a Coca Cola truck, probably carrying Comrades supplies, had overturned and blocked the freeway. We had a slow but scenic trip back to PMB via the back way to finally arrive at Steve and Nan's place about two and a half hours late. They had all been waiting for us and were getting a little worried. Still after introductions all round and a late lunch every one headed off to freshen up ready for a group dinner that night. We had another group dinner on the Saturday night both catered by our hosts who knew about carbo loading etc so we were very well looked after. Steve has run Comrades 10 times but was injured, Nan has run it once and Brad and Nobby, two of our hosts, have both run before and were turning out on Monday also so we were in good company.
On Saturday we stopped at a sports store in PMB where we were fortunate enough to meet Bruce Fordyce and revisited the Expo in Durban where everyone gave their wallets a severe going over. With Steve as a guide, we drove back to PMB over the course. It is quite daunting in a vehicle let alone on foot and, with stops, took us over three hours. The highlight for me was the Comrades wall of honour at about the half way mark where for a small fee, runners can buy a space and a plaque on which their name, number, and years they have run is displayed. Thanks to the efforts of Alf Field and Roger Rigby, Sydney Striders has an area of its own and we spent some time viewing and taking pictures there. I am sure another couple of names will be there after this year's run.
Our hosts really went out of their way to make us feel at home and nothing was too much trouble. We dined together on the Friday and Saturday nights but decided that Sunday should be a rest day as we needed to be up at 3am on Monday morning to be in Durban for the start at 6am.
Many people have written about the magic that is Comrades. This was my fifth run and my enjoyment of the event and appreciation of the organisation and roadside and runner support increases each time. It is a joy to return.
It may sound trite but I ran/walked the first 78kms to Polly Shorts (a 200 metre climb over 2kms) fairly easily - all the training seemed to be paying off. Derek Smith and I kept each other company to Inchanga (just after half way) where the piece of string holding us together kept stretching until he was out of sight to finish half an hour ahead of me.
Pollys was always going to be a walk, but as I walked up it I began to feel worse and worse. My brick wall had arrived. Fortunately Clare, Steve and Nan were at the top and, since her success at Cradle Mountain, Clare had been rehearsing her motivational speech ready for my arrival. As I sat on an esky and demanded a coke she launched into it. The lights were on but no-one was home and I didn't hear a word, I just asked for another Coke. She tried again, this time I was more forthcoming, I brought the Coke up all over her feet (Oh the trials and tribulations of a supporter). This was the final straw and Steve and Clare forced me to stand up, told me to dig deep and pushed me back on the road. I wobbled off to a water trough, doused my head in ice cold water, started running and felt surprisingly good. I covered the last kilometres at the same pace as Clare, Steve and Nan who drove and we arrived at the stadium at the same time. My finishing time of 9hrs 43mins was a PB for the up run.
After the finish I couldn't work out where the International Tent, our meeting place, was so I headed for the Information Tent which is where Clare found me. She told me to wait there and went in search of the International Tent. In true Bartlett style I lay down and went to sleep. By the time Clare and I made it to the International Tent all the Striders and Lindsay from WA had finished and were looking extremely relaxed and pleased with themselves.
I have since watched the tape of the run. Christopher Parkes, an Englishman running his first Comrades, went out at what turned out to be suicidal pace to break the record to half way. He fell by the wayside at 60kms and struggled to the finish well down the field in 6hrs 14 mins. After this a four way battle ensued between Volgin and Grishine of Russia (second in this year's Two Oceans) and Mattheus and Bester of RSA. Volgin fell off the pace, Bester and Mattheus combined in trying to burn off Greshine who never replied to any of the surges, he just kept running a steady pace to catch up again. Bester fell back in the run to the foot of Pollys and Greshine surged past Mattheus up Polly Shorts to take the race in the second fastest up time of 5hrs 29m. Bester and Volgin caught Mattheus in the run in to PMB and they finished 2nd and 3rd respectively with Mattheus 4th. Don Wallace of Australia, looking remarkably refreshed, finished 12th in a time of 5hr 43 mins which on any previous occasion would have given him a top 10 finish and a gold medal. Such was the class of the field.
The women's race was a one horse affair with Ann Trason of USA returning after her disappointment of last year to lead all the way and win in a record time of 6hrs 14m well inside Frith Van Der Merwe old up run record. Maria Bak of Germany who won the down run last year finished second also within the old record. Incidentally Maria's husband finished 13th a few seconds behind Don Wallace.
Equally fascinating was the battle at the back. Not to see who could beat whom but to see who could get across the line before the 11hr cut off time. There are some sick and sorry sights as the back markers struggle to make it. Gordon Davids who finished last this year fell 20 metres from the line, stood, fell again, crawled, stood and was then dragged across the line by a fellow runner who had just finished. He was interviewed as he sat there with a vacant glazed expression and was asked how he felt - "Dead, very dead" was his reply. On the day there were 11,264 finishers with 4,800 crossing the line in the last hour.
A little while later at the presentations he was asked to come forward to accept the last finisher's award from Nelson Mandela. This required him to negotiate a few steps. It was a struggle but hemade it. However, worse was to come. He received two handsful of gifts so the challenge now was how to get down. He stood at the top knowing that if he tried going down without the support of his hands he would end up a crumpled mess at the bottom of the steps. Fortunately help arrived to take his goodies to allow to negotiate the steps backwards.
Finally about 6pm the presentations were over and we headed home for a shower, something to eat and a welcome rest. Another wonderful and memorable day.
The next day the PMB contingent had a day out with some of their hosts with the home brew at Rawdons going down like a treat. That evening we took our hosts out for a most enjoyable dinner and evening in thanks for the warm and wonderful hospitality they had shown us. To Steve and Nan, Chris and Lianne, Nobby and Lynn and Brad and Jill our heartfelt thanks. Despite assurances to the contrary by some I am sure some or all of us will return for another crack at this challenge.
Thanks are also due to Elizabeth, Cathy, Karin and Leanne at South African Airways who did such a fine job of organising our flights, seats and other ground arrangements.
On the Wednesday for most of us it was up early, final farewells and off to the airport to our next destinations - as you were told in the last Blister, Derek to march for Kaiser Bill in Swakopmund and Graham and I to go water divining in the Kalahari.
I will be at Comrades in 1997 and will organise things again, if there is sufficient interest of course. I will start this process in early November but if you are interested ring me on 9953 5317 to let me know. [an error occurred while processing this directive]