LG’s Blog: Cough, cough… Comrades is around the corner (I just died)
Logan Green, sports journalist, writes:
So, you may or may not have been following my blogs since 2016 when I first hinted at running the Comrades Marathon in June 2018.
If you didn’t read that, here’s the proof. Check out point three:
You may have chuckled at that statement and doubted that I would actually follow through with it.
I don’t blame you though, I did too…
When I typed that piece I was a beer-boeped, Friday night jol loving, big-talker, who had only ever run 5km max.
The only time I saw 5am was when my boys and I would pull an ‘all-nighter’.
I was the dude taking snaps of all the runners and having a cold beer on the side of the Comrades route with my mates, not the guy smack-bang in the thick of things.
Fast-forward to April 2018 and, with under 50 days to go until the ‘Big C’ barring any debilitating major sickness or injury, I will line up in the F-batch at the down run at Pietermaritzburg City Hall after a good run at the Forever Loskop Marathon last weekend.
My terrific friend Robyn Daniel (sticking to my tradition of name dropping in these blogs) said to me on a run recently:
“I remember your first Benoni Northerns time trial, you were this chubby little beach ball huffing and puffing, now you’re running it in sub-18 minutes.”
(Speaking of name dropping, shout out to Squire Flint who asked me if he could be in my next blog, so there we go, Squire.)
So what, LG?
Do you want a Noddy badge now?
Yes, yes I do!
Bring it here…
Haha, nope.
JK!
Initially, I thought that it would merely be something cool I could write about in my blogs.
Us bloggers are always on the prowl for content ideas, so I thought: “Why not?”
As the time rolled on, the reality of the task at hand set in hard.
This race needs to be respected.
People come from all over South Africa and from all around the planet to run it.
This is not some Mickey Mouse operation, LG.
As a sports journo you are obliged to describe the emotions of a victory or a defeat, but how do you really know how to do that when you have not experienced it for yourself?
I have been in soccer, rugby and cricket teams where I have felt the above-mentioned to some extent, but nothing can compare to when you are out there as an individual with the sweat dripping in and burning your eyes (I do perspire like a Gupta on a plane back to South Africa), gritting your teeth and feeling pain in muscles and body parts you never knew existed.
Yes, yes… just another blog post about how strenuous and tiring ultra running is.
We get it, Logan!
What is your objective here, boet?
What are you trying to say?
I want you to try something that will challenge you as an individual, like running has done to me.
I want you to step out of the comfort zone and challenge yourself.
Want to paint that painting you have been wanting to do since forever?
Then go to CNA (or wherever you get paint supplies) and do it.
Want to jump out of a plane and fall through the air at super speed?
Do it!
Want to give your boss the middle finger and go become a beach bum?
Then dooo… maybe think carefully about that one!
All I am saying is YOLO (ugh… I said YOLO, cringe).
If you want to know a bit more about how hectic this Comrades thing is, check out this video by former Comrades apparel sponsor New Balance which features Benoni Northerns Athletic Club (BNAC) legend Richard Pretorius and others at the Comrades up run in 2015.
If that doesn’t bump your goose then I dunno, boet.
That is some serious stuff.
Anyway, a special mention must go out to my running buddy Dazz de Kock who has been alongside me for the majority of this journey.
Useful tip: Get yourself a running buddy who is going to motivate you non-stop and persistently get you out of bed on a cold, dark morning.
That’s Dazza for you.
The guy has got more determination than a Platinum Life call centre agent trying to get you to take out a life policy (man, I have a lot of braai sets, haha).
My seeding from Loskop means that I can line up in the same pen with Dazz at the starting line of Comrades.
That is destiny, I rate.
Dazz, it has been an honour running with you, my cuz.
The journey has been real and it’s about to get realer than a small Steers burger with extra cheese.
Actually, thank you to every single one of the people who have been so supportive on this journey.
To those running Comrades, you have got this!
We have got this!
Anyhoo, I am not sure yet if this will be the last blog before June 10 (probably not).
Thank you to each and every person at Benoni Northerns Athletic Club, Benoni Northerns Sports Club, Benoni Harriers Athletic Club, family, friends, colleagues and other random folks who have backed me thus far.
See you on the road on June 10!
One last vid:
Asijiki.
There is no turning back.
Gulp!
LG
* Please note that this is an opinion piece and that the views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Benoni City Times or Caxton Newspapers.
Check out some other blogs from this writer:
LG’s A to Z of a South African road trip
LG’s Blog: Things I’m learning while learning to run really far, like really, really, really far
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