Two Highway legends aim to finish Comrades

COMRADES is fast approaching and as eager novices prepare for the daunting task to tackle this fabled race, two legends who know this race backwards are Highway residents, Dave Rogers and Rob Collins.

Rob Collins (69) from Hillcrest Villagers Athletics Club will be lining up for his 37th Comrades while Dave Rogers (71), a Hillcrest resident and a founding member and honorary life member of the Westville Athletics Club will be donning his red and white colours for his incredible 46th Comrades!

Rob who has logged up 147 000kms, a distance of more than three times the world, since he began running on 1 December 1972 is just hoping to finish this year’s race.

“I am realistic, over 40 per cent of those over 60 don’t make it, so with my age I am just hoping I can finish. I had a good run last year, despite the hot and dry weather,” said Rob.

Rob’s best time was six hours and 44min in 1977 and he has 13 silver medals to his name.

His advice to novice runners is, “Don’t give up, keep moving. The Comrades is a huge mental exercise with 70 per cent mental and 30 per cent physical.” He also added, “It will be one of the best days of your life.”

Dave ran his first Comrades Marathon at the age of 18 in 1961 when his brother met one of the founders of the race and convinced him to join him in the race. Despite their lack of proper training, the brothers finished the race in an incredible 10 hours and 15min.

“It just seemed like an unbelievable challenge to run from PMB to Durban. I was playing football at the time which involved a little bit of running but we had no idea what the race was all about and what we were in for!” said Dave. “It was an incredible experience.”

The running bug had bitten and Dave began running competitively as well as playing provincial hockey. When he had to choose one year between running the Comrades or playing in a hockey tournament, he chose the Comrades and gave up hockey. His subsequent impressive performances are testimony to his sacrifice.

“It takes two or three years of running before you can really run competitively and then you have a decade at most. I did five to six years of competitive running and ran for the province. Running is a time consuming sport, you pick up injuries and with four children to support I was working two jobs, so it wasn’t an option to make running a career, it would have been too much of a risk.”

His most notable achievements in the Comrades were 3 golds in ’74 (7th), ’75 (6th) and his best time of 5hr 52min in 1976 to come third.

In 1977, he was on track for what he hoped would be his winning year, having already broken records in other races leading up to the event. But as the Comrades has proven time and time again, it can be a challenge to even the fittest, most talented runners.

“I was raring to go and suddenly I collapsed about 30kms from the start near the old Gillitts station. I had no idea where I was, somebody put ice on the back of my neck and then I was up and running again in the wrong direction! Once I was back on track, things started looking good and I was lying in about 11th position with time to catch some of the leaders when I went down for the second time. I ended up coming in 13th place.”

After collapsing in a few other races with chest pains and not having a medical explanation for why, Dave began running more conservatively but even then he was running under 7.5 hr races to add around 30 silver Comrades Marathon medals to his collection.

In 2002, he had a two year break after hip resurfacing surgery but that didn’t stop him coming back to run, even if it is on a more social level. His three sons have also taken up running and have run a few Comrades as well.

What Dave loves about the race is the camaraderie and the spectators.

“The emphasise is on the average person and can they run the distance and meet the challenge. The route is chock a block with spectators and everyone who finishes is made to feel like an Olympian and not just the winners.”

“As you get older you slow down drastically but as long as you train sufficiently and have luck, my aim now is to enjoy the race and finish.”