An up hill year at Comrades
Email Subject: Comparing the JFK and Comrades!
Greetings Running Friend!
OK, most of you know that I just did the Comrades. So I am now one of those rarest of Americans with enough selfish desire and wherewithal (and ability?) to knock off Comrades and the JFK50. And, as such, I will claim here, my entitlement to answering one of the favorite rave ultra running questions. Which takes longer? Comrades or JKF?
First, some auxiliary raving is due. Of all the runs that are accessible to joes like us, The Comrades is as advertised, the most awesome. I recommend that you get Comrades done before you are too old, because there is no making that age excuse.
And if you haven't done your homework, you need not apply- you only get 12 hours, and everyone must qualify. 12000 runners covering 55 truly mountainous miles in 12 hours and 0 seconds, or you are out. You gotta love that.
And the crowds are great. I had strangers running with me up Polly's, as I proclaimed out loud that I WILL RUN the entire Comrades. (True story.) You know I got what I came for.
And the start at Comrades is like entering a concert. The whooping, and pushing, at least from the A Seed corral that I was in, started long before the gun. And then the race began, and I mean race. I dropped from about 500th to 3000th in 10k. Yikes! And these competitors are not out for t shirts, fading after a mile. Hundreds of these guys and gals went thru the first half of that mountain road in 3.5 hours! They came to run, and claim gold, silver, and bronze. They are fearless, and the majority will happily succumb to the mountains, and end up with leg cramps, and grueling finishes. But they all have a great day, many with hopes of persevering at the front, and some do. The Comrades spirit is alive and awesome. It comes from within, indeed.
But back to the comparison. This year, 2006, the 81st running of the Comrades, was an "Up Year". And up runs are about 3k shorter (only about 54.5 miles) than a "Down Year". An Up Year, means lots and lots of mountains to climb, and only lots of mountains to go down. Despite the shorter distance of an Up Year, the historical stats prove that the Ups are about 10-15 minutes slower than Down Years for the elites, and 10-30 minutes slower for the Up Years for mortals like me, than the Downs. And, that makes all the difference, when comparing the Comrades to JFK.
Bottom line, here is how I vote: with all paved roads at Comrades, which although is really tough on the legs, it is still a faster average pace than trail running like the first third of JFK. You should expect to pass the 50 mile point at Comrades, Ups and Downs, earlier than a JFK 50 mile finish. (which I did by about 15 minutes) And, you may finish a Comrades Down, sooner than a JFK 50, but barely. (which we should all do in 2010- while South Africa hosts the World Cup). And a Comrades Up, will take the longest of all (which I did in about 10 minutes longer than a JFK).
So there it is. Btw, has there ever been a South African Comrades runner, that has run JFK? Mike, I am working on that. And, let's all go to the World Cup in South Africa in 2010, and run the 85th running of the Comrades, June 16th, Youth Day- an Up Year.
Henry Peck
834th at the Comrades, an Up Run, 2006 finisher in 7 hours and 54 minutes, a Bill Rowan Medalist 43rd at the Great JFK50, 2003 finisher in 7 hours and 43 minutes
Greetings Running Friend!
OK, most of you know that I just did the Comrades. So I am now one of those rarest of Americans with enough selfish desire and wherewithal (and ability?) to knock off Comrades and the JFK50. And, as such, I will claim here, my entitlement to answering one of the favorite rave ultra running questions. Which takes longer? Comrades or JKF?
First, some auxiliary raving is due. Of all the runs that are accessible to joes like us, The Comrades is as advertised, the most awesome. I recommend that you get Comrades done before you are too old, because there is no making that age excuse.
And if you haven't done your homework, you need not apply- you only get 12 hours, and everyone must qualify. 12000 runners covering 55 truly mountainous miles in 12 hours and 0 seconds, or you are out. You gotta love that.
And the crowds are great. I had strangers running with me up Polly's, as I proclaimed out loud that I WILL RUN the entire Comrades. (True story.) You know I got what I came for.
And the start at Comrades is like entering a concert. The whooping, and pushing, at least from the A Seed corral that I was in, started long before the gun. And then the race began, and I mean race. I dropped from about 500th to 3000th in 10k. Yikes! And these competitors are not out for t shirts, fading after a mile. Hundreds of these guys and gals went thru the first half of that mountain road in 3.5 hours! They came to run, and claim gold, silver, and bronze. They are fearless, and the majority will happily succumb to the mountains, and end up with leg cramps, and grueling finishes. But they all have a great day, many with hopes of persevering at the front, and some do. The Comrades spirit is alive and awesome. It comes from within, indeed.
But back to the comparison. This year, 2006, the 81st running of the Comrades, was an "Up Year". And up runs are about 3k shorter (only about 54.5 miles) than a "Down Year". An Up Year, means lots and lots of mountains to climb, and only lots of mountains to go down. Despite the shorter distance of an Up Year, the historical stats prove that the Ups are about 10-15 minutes slower than Down Years for the elites, and 10-30 minutes slower for the Up Years for mortals like me, than the Downs. And, that makes all the difference, when comparing the Comrades to JFK.
Bottom line, here is how I vote: with all paved roads at Comrades, which although is really tough on the legs, it is still a faster average pace than trail running like the first third of JFK. You should expect to pass the 50 mile point at Comrades, Ups and Downs, earlier than a JFK 50 mile finish. (which I did by about 15 minutes) And, you may finish a Comrades Down, sooner than a JFK 50, but barely. (which we should all do in 2010- while South Africa hosts the World Cup). And a Comrades Up, will take the longest of all (which I did in about 10 minutes longer than a JFK).
So there it is. Btw, has there ever been a South African Comrades runner, that has run JFK? Mike, I am working on that. And, let's all go to the World Cup in South Africa in 2010, and run the 85th running of the Comrades, June 16th, Youth Day- an Up Year.
Henry Peck
834th at the Comrades, an Up Run, 2006 finisher in 7 hours and 54 minutes, a Bill Rowan Medalist 43rd at the Great JFK50, 2003 finisher in 7 hours and 43 minutes