South Africa’s Comrades Marathon is arguably one of the most famous ultra marathons in the entire world. “Steeped in history, this race is 100 years old and has one hell of a story to tell,” says ASICS Front Runner David Fick, who tackled his first Comrades 28th August 2022.
His Comrades journey has been three years in the making. “Due to covid restrictions and cancellations, the race has not officially been run since 2020. This year, the race was back for its 100th edition and was one of the most iconic editions to date,” he says, explaining that what made Comrades that much more special to him was that it attracts people from all walks of life who want to be apart of what could be seen as a South Africans right to running. “Simply put, if you love running, then eventually you will end up doing the Comrades marathon,” he says.
David’s goal for Comrades was to finish under 7h:30, to claim a silver medal. That didn’t quite come together on race day, but that is where he learned the most, lessons that people can apply to their own races, regardless of distance:
One race doesn’t define you as a runner
I had to deal with the 'failure' of not achieving a silver medal. From that, I learned that it’s important that regardless of the distance you’re tackling, you need to have the mindset that not just one race will define you. Every single time you go out there and push your body and your mind, while you might not get the result you want on the day, you are always going to be better off for it.
Stay composed even when you are in pain
I had to deal with cramps very early on. I don’t have much to add to this because I personally am still perplexed as to why it happened, what I learned was that you will have to dig deeper than ever before if you're stepping it up in distance. Be ready for it and try to enjoy it.
Be present and enjoy the day
Managing your emotions on a run that you have spent the whole year training for is not easy but you really have to focus on being present. Comrades in particular is really emotional for all runners just because you sacrifice so much training for it and run upwards of 2000kms training for it to be defined by only 90kms on the day.
