COMRADES
COMRADES MARATHON 2022
DATE: SUNDAY 28TH AUGUST
DOWN RUN
Finishing the Comrades marathon is a titanic achievement for even a highly accomplished runner, and the atmosphere is without equal. This should definitely be a bucket-list experience for every South African runner.
The strong values of camaraderie, courage and commitment, dedication, passion and perseverance are key to making this event so unique.
The legendary Comrades Marathon is the world’s oldest and largest Ultra Marathon, with a distance of 90km. The Comrades is run between the cities of Durban and Pietermaritzburg in KZN and alternates each year between an UP-run starting in Durban, and the DOWN-run starting in Pietermaritzburg, taking on the challenging ‘Big Five’ set of hills along the way.
Once you have made the decision to run Comrades, you will need to adjust your lifestyle somewhat, and commit to running around one and a half hours daily, for four to five days per week and probably three to four hours on a Saturday or Sunday for races and long runs.
You will also need to decide on a training program that suits you. RAC has many experienced Comrades runners who are ready and willing to share their experience and advice with runners of all abilities. You can chat to Dick or Hans Peter at the RAC clubhouse on Tuesday evenings about tailoring your goals and training plans.
During the months leading up to Comrades RAC holds regular informative talks and interactive discussions for runners, covering a variety of topics
Our first Comrades talk this year will be with
BRUCE FORDYCE
On Tuesday 24th May 2022
At 7:00pm
An interactive talk with Comrades Legend Bruce Fordyce titled May is the new March, with Comrades now taking place in August this year. Bruce is highly entertaining and has a huge amount of knowledge to share, especially for the novices wanting to earn their first Comrades medal. This is a free talk, but we will be taking donations towards our Comrades Travel Fund, assisting people to get to Comrades.
The following tables give an indication of the times needed to qualify,
as well as the times required for the various start seeding batches
Training plans have been drafted for:
Finishers
Bronze Medal Finishers
Bill Rowan Medal Finishers
Silver Medal Finishers
These training plans have been drawn up for Comrades Novices, to help them plan the required mileage they need to run, in order to earn a finishers’ medal at Comrades.
Plans can be tweaked and adapted, but this is a guideline of the mileage is required.
For more information, advice, or personalised training plans, please contact Hanspeter on 079 905-5911.
RAC has a long and rich history with the Comrades Marathon.
In the 1980’s RAC had a team of formidable runners. RAC’s successes are well documented, but one of the most noteworthy achievements was the winning of the “GUNGA DIN”. The Gunga Din Trophy is the most revered and sought after trophy in South African Road Running as it is awarded to the Club with the fastest six finishers in the Comrades Marathon. The trophy is a British Soldier’s TIN HAT mounted on a shield.
RAC has won it eight times, the first being in 1984. The following year in 1985 Bruce Fordyce joined the club and said, “I’ve won everything else at Comrades, but never a Gunga Din”. The RAC team collected the trophy in 1985 and then six more.
Our ladies emulated our men and have won the “Dinner Gong” five times and the Veterans also collected their share of Vic Clapham Veteran Trophies.
These runners were all amateurs. Nobody was paid to run and there was no prize money. They just ran. The hard core wanted to go ever further, the others striving to go ever faster.
