On Sunday, June 1 the sleepy hollow of Pietermaritzburg will become abuzz when some 15 000 runners from all walks of life from all over the world home in on this beacon of the Comrades Marathon in pursuit of their holy grail.
Between them is 89km of hostile roadway beautifully disguised into the gentle down run of Polly Shorts, the sublime plateau of Harrison Flats, the sunkissed valleys of a Thousand Hills and the breathtaking views of Durban. Beware!
Beneath all this lies a demon in waiting, ready to unleash its might and majestic glory – this is the Comrades Marathon.
Emotions run in abundance – some of conquest, some of hope and perhaps some of trepidation especially for those venturing into the unknown.
Runners old and new still don’t know what to expect for they well know Comrades is so unforgiving, so unpredictable, so unsympathetic and so very unrelenting.
One thing is certain though, and that is expect one big epic battle with what is undoubtedly the world’s hardest ultra marathon.
It’s quite normal that when athletes nervously line-up at the start with the deafening lyrics of Chariots of Fire and Nkosi Sikelele iAfrika stirring every conceivable emotion, one tends to get a lump in the throat.
You start to think about the dark part of the race, the last 20-25kms, when it “all goes black,” when there is nothing left and all you can do is just hold on for dear life.
This is the bit where you don’t want to run anymore and the pain is so intense that you’re only running because walking is worse.
It is this part of the race that you will remember for the rest of your life. You can fight it, or you can embrace it.
Like other clubs in the country, Forderville Athletics Club – Estcourt (FACE) is well represented.
It too boasts athletes who have been there, done that and got the medal and T-shirt.
Ask those seasoned runners why they do it again and again, and the most likely answer you’ll get is: “Hard is what makes it so great!”
Confronting the Comrades Marathon this year will be old stalwarts comprising of its most decorated Amri Sewnun, Sunjai Sewlal, Nishal Mahadow, Vjien Rammayas, Claudine Sithole, Sharmilla and Naveen Rajcoomar and novice entrant Bongani Mkhize.
Most notable Sunjai will run his tenth consecutive marathon hence standing on the brink to achieve his permanent green number while Nishal starts his ninth.
Each of these runners has their own tales to tell of pain, anguish, joy and jubilation.
It will be a memorable day for sure. There will be success and there will be failure.
There will be laughter and there will be tears.
There will be congratulations and there will be commiserations.
But then there will be those who by merely starting the greatest and ultimate human race must be hailed as heroes.
FACE and the community of Estcourt wish all its athletes the very best on race day and may you experience the sweet taste of victory and return triumphant.