Running Two Races: My Journey to My 5th Comrades Marathon

In this episode, I share my personal journey as I prepare for my fifth Comrades Marathon, one of the world’s most iconic ultramarathons. I talk about my humble beginnings, what it takes to train for nearly 90 km, and how discipline, faith, and resilience shape both running and life. I also answer listener questions on training, injury prevention, and balancing running with family, work, and faith.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:02

Every day you face a choice to stay where you are or to step boldly into the stronger, healthier, and more resilient version of yourself. Welcome to Move and Thrive, the podcast for active people who want to move better, train smarter, and stay healthy for life without burnout and without avoidable injuries. I am Dr. Siabon Agunene, your sports physiotherapist, coach, and partner on this journey towards a thriving and high-performing life. So I invite you to move, to grow and thrive. Hello friends and welcome back. Today's episode is a bit personal, it's special and very close to my heart because I am taking you inside my journey as I prepare for my fifth comrades marathon this year. If you are training for Comrades Marathon or thinking about it, or simply curious what it takes to run nearly 90 kilometers across Guazuluna Dalk province, this episode is for you. Here is what we are diving into today. We're gonna discuss how I started my running, why Comrades Marathon matters to me, and what it really takes to prepare for this iconic ultra marathon. We look at my training plan, we look at training for different medals, we give you some advice in training for different medals at Comrades. We also touch a little bit about injury prevention. And of course, I will answer your questions from the voice notes I've received. Thank you. It's so good to know that people are following and listening to my podcast. Before we go any further, I would like to play some few voice notes I have received from three comrades' runners. They've asked a few questions that I will be happy to answer. Please listen to these two three voice messages.

SPEAKER_02 2:14

Hi, Sia. It is Steve Mashabane here. Um, as you know, that I'm preparing for my second comrades marathon, and I am looking forward to it. I also know that you are preparing for your comrades marathon and all the best. And I just want to find out from you, as a seasoned um runner, that with your demanding um schedule, I know you are a family person, you've got a demanding professional uh job, and you also have uh leadership responsibilities from the church and other activities that you are involved in. How do you manage that? Firstly, and secondly, what tips can you give me as a second uh comrades marathon runner targeting a sub 10? What tips can I get from you that will help me do better in my pursuit for a sub 10? I'll be very excited and happy to hear from a professional like yourself. Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 3:33

Uh hi coach. Um, I'm preparing for my first comrade marathon this year. I've I've run a few standard marathons already, but a comrades feel very intimidating. I've got a few questions that I would like you to help me with. Number one, what is the biggest difference between preparing for a normal marathon and preparing for comrades? Two, how long should my longest training run be when preparing for comrades? And then lastly, um, what is the biggest mistake first-time comrade runners make?

SPEAKER_00 4:15

Hi, coach. Um, firstly, I'd like to thank you for your podcast. They have actually helped me through with my journey. I'm preparing for my fifth combre math this year, um, and I'm excited, but I keep on getting these um small injuries like runner's knee um and also ankle or muscle strain. Um, please, coach, help me on this one. How should I avoid those injuries, especially now because we are starting our high mileage? So, can you help me on how to avoid those injuries? And also, when should I stop training and rest instead of pushing through my pain? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:00

Before I get into discussing kilometers training strategies, I want to begin with something deeper, something at the heart of my own journey. For some of us who run Comrades Marathon, we'll know that Comrades Marathon is not just an ultra marathon, it's a piece of South African history. The race is about 90 kilometers long from Debian to Peter Maresbek one year, and then Peter Maresbek to Deban the other year. We enjoyed this race, but I must tell you those clients are brutal. If you have not trained, you suffer. The downhills also they destroy your legs. So training is critical for this race. The crowds lift your spirit, the atmosphere. For me, this is this is what makes comrades what it is. If you have not run this race, you are missing out. The experience is unmeshed. Finishing Comrades Marathon is one of the greatest moments a runner can experience. Yes, it demands everything from your body, but it gives so much more back to your soul. As runners, we know training requires discipline. Those early mornings, tired legs, sacrifice, consistency. That's what it demands. But for me, running has become more than just physical training. I'm running two races: a physical race and a spiritual race. I don't just train my body for me, I train my body to honor God. Running has become a form of worship for me. I've learned to connect with God through running. As I run, I pray. As I run, I listen to God talking to me. So running has reminded me that discipline, resilience, and faith are connected. A reminder that the body God designed is powerful and purposeful. My story, my journey didn't begin with races, clubs or coaches. I grew up in rural Guazul Natal where running wasn't a sport. It was survival. I walked and I ran to school, sometimes barefoot. I had a kettle. I worked in the fields. And in between, we raced or played soccer for fun. In fact, running and playing soccer were the only two recreational activities as kids that we could participate in. I never imagined that kilometers I covered as a young boy will become the foundation of my calling as a sports physiotherapist, a lecturer, and an advocate for healthy living. Today I promote exercise and sports. I do sports and exercise physiotherapy. I must say God truly uses humble beginnings to build extraordinary journeys. So running has connected me deeply to the way God has designed the human body. It keeps me healthy, grounded, and spiritually aligned. Why I run comrades? Many people have asked me this question. Why Comrades Marathon? For me, it's not for prizes, it's not for recognition either. I run Comrades Marathon because it represents optimal health, it represents personal challenge, it represents the gift of movement, discipline, humility, and perseverance. Those are my reasons why I participate in this race. Comrades Marathon teaches you that greatness is built slowly, one disciplined day at a time. Let me take you through what it takes to prepare for this ultramarathon. I know many people think it's easy. You just train a little bit and then go have fun. Comrades training depends on your goal and experience, but one rule never changes. Respect the distance. I want to share some simple guidelines for those who are training for this race. Right now we are at peak training period. It's March. We comrades is less than three months. So we should be accumulating certain mileage or kilometers depending on the goal that you want to achieve. So there are a few medals that Comrades Marathon will have. We've got a medal for those who just want to finish, um want to do a sub-12 hours. So if you are aiming for that, you should be doing around 55 to 60 kilometers per week right now. Those who are doing bronze, aiming for bronze medal, sub-11, you need about 60 to 70 kilometers per week. Robert Muchali, that's sub 10 hours. You need about 70 to 80 kilometers per week. Bill Rowan, sub 9. You need about 90 to 100 kilometers per week. Silver sub 8 is what 100 to 110 kilometers per week. I won't talk about gold medals, those are for crazy people. I mean, extreme elite mileage, full-time job. So these are kilometers you can't do less than 55 if you're going for comrades marathon per week. Those are the kilometers that you must accumulate. So you must be ready to run those kilometers every week. So it's important that when you train, you train according to the goal that you set for yourself, and the kilometers will align to that goal. Not everyone will do the same or accumulate the same amount of kilometers a week, depending on the medal you are going for or the time you are aiming for. You don't just thumbsack the times and say, I want to run a sub-11 or a sub-10. You must look at your marathon times that will guide you in terms of which medal you can aim for at comrades. So you must for those who are doing a sub aiming for a sub 12-hour uh finisher medal, you you you need to do your marathon at least have a sub 450 marathon. If you're struggling to get a sub 450, you won't qualify to do comrades marathon. And for bronze, you need to do your marathon at 424 at least. For Robert Muchaldi, that's a sub 10. You need about four hours of a marathon. That's 42 kilometers. You you you you must have your sub four to be able to cope to do a sub 10. Bill Rowan, that's sub 9, you need to do a marathon by 3 hours 35 minutes. Silver, you need a sub 3 or 3 hour marathon. So these are the times that you can use to gauge to decide which medal you are aiming for at comrades. Now, training should focus on these things. You must feature your long, easy runs in your training program. The program will build you nicely to those long hours. But every week you must feature, usually that's during weekends, feature those long runs because they build resilience, they build durability. You have to feature some heels, heel sessions, because this time around is up run, so you will have to educate your body how to climb those hills. You must have some strategic rests, so at least two or one day of rest a week. You need you need strength training. You must feature one or two sessions of strength training, training those glutes, your legs, core. I know runners run away from strength training. Don't don't skip this. You will struggle at comrades without strength training. It's important to practice your run-walk strategies. When you run comrades, you will have to walk, run, walk, run. So you can't do that when you get to comrades because you have not trained for it. You have to practice uh during especially during your long runs, weekends, you must practice your run walk strategies. It's important that you build gradually. You don't want to sustain injuries. Don't don't do too much too soon. If you are in a good program, you must build gradually, never rushing volume. Otherwise, you will regret. You will start comrades with an injury. And if you start comrades with an injury, high chances you won't finish. So consistency is everything when you are training for comrades. And also freshness matters. You need to recover as you train. So recovery is crucial when you are training. In fact, fitness is gained when you rest and recover. Because when you are running and building the mileage, you are your body is breaking down, your muscles are breaking down. So you must allow them to recover and heal. As they recover, they become stronger. So these are principles that are very important when you are preparing for comrades. Never miss important sessions when you are training. Those long runs must feature, no matter how busy you are. Some speed sessions must feature those intervals that you do at least once a week. Your tempo runs must be, your heel repeats. Don't miss those key sessions. Try and comply with your program. About 80% compliance. If you can get to 80% compliance, you are safe to run comrades. But beyond the right program, choose the right program. We don't follow the same programs. A silver medalist is running different using a different uh program. Bill Rowan medalists use a different program, and the kilometers you accumulate a week is not the same. Now I want to attend to some questions that were asked by the three runners that sent their voice messages. Starting with Steve's uh question. Uh Steve, I see he's preparing for his second comrade's marathon. Congratulations, Steve, for making it and for finishing your first comrade and now going for your second one. At least you have got some experience, you know how it feels like. Steve asked me, How do I manage training with work, family, church, and doing many other things? Because life is so busy. How do I find time to do all of these things? My answer, my simple answer will be intentional planning and program compliant is what I have used. I made sure that I'm intentional about my planning and I'm intentional about you know keeping up with the program. Here are some tips I would give him. Um, plan your week, plan your days, and feature uh your runs. What I do is I feature my runs in my calendar. I use one calendar for everything, including work, church, and other things that I do, including running and my cycling. So if it's not in the schedule, it will not be done. So find time, put it in your schedule. Be consistent, not perfect. I know sometimes we aim to be perfect, but consistency is what will get you there. Wake up, do what needs to be done, and keep doing it. If you can uh comply for about 80% of the program, you will make it. Protect those long runs and speed sessions. There are sessions you don't want to miss. If you are too busy, make sure you feature a long run, make sure you feature a speed session and also strength training. Train smart. Sometimes we get too busy and running and running and not do it in a smart way. So if you follow a program that is evidence-based, um, it will help you run um train smart. Don't sacrifice family or spiritual time. Find time with God and find time with family. For me, God and family are my big source of strength and support. It's important that you discuss your plans with your family and ask them to support you, especially during the critical training period. Another thing I do is I make my training very convenient. Sometimes I would run to work and then maybe sometimes run from work back home. I'm trying to make it convenient for me so that it's not a thing that I must do after everything else. I feature it as I go to work. Sometimes I I feature my runs during um during lunchtime. We have a Jimmy at work, I do quick run during lunch or do some strength training during lunch. I shower, go back to work. So make it convenient, make it part of your of your life. And I do accept imperfect weeks. There are times where weeks are not going to be the same. So accept imperfect weeks, but don't give up. Another question Steve asked me is a guide in terms of doing his sub 10. Last year I know he aimed for sub 10, but because of an injury, he could not get that. I'm happy he adjusted his plan because that's a very good thing. With if you are a disciplined runner, you must adjust your plan if things don't go according to the plan. Don't force things. But this year, I think he's ready. So, and I know it's following a program. Stick to that program, Steve, and uh be consistent. You need about 70 to 75 kilometers um per week, especially during this period. Start doing those heel repeats at the right paces according to the program. Your tempo runs should be about 530 at least per kilometer. Be consistent with your long runs. Um and then when you get to the race, don't rush things. Do what you've been doing at training. Don't start the race too fast. Just keep up with the race paces. Don't join buses that you don't know. If you want to join a bus, by the way, for those who may not know, buses we call the groups of people who run together. We call them buses. Usually there's somebody who is driving those runs, so we call them bus drivers. So it is good sometimes to talk to the bus driver and hear about the running strategy. You may be interested in running a sub-10 or joining a sub 10 bus. Try and connect with the bus driver, find out what is the strategy, how are they going to do run work and all of those water points? You need to know so that you can train according to that. Otherwise, you need to stick to your own program and the way it is uh designed. Another voice note is coming from uh Teskakane who is preparing for his first Combray marathon. As far as I remember, he has qualified already. So well done for qualifying. I think he's aiming for a SUP-11 bronze medal. So I believe you are in the right program. Uh, Coach Perry does is an official coach and he does provide programs. Um, so sticking to that program will help you a lot. Don't listen to people who tell you this and that. Stick to that program, don't undermine that program. Um, it helps you build nicely your endurance, and uh yeah, it's not as hectic. I know there are many programs that can be so hectic unnecessarily. Uh Mrs. Kakan is asking the difference between training for a marathon or training for comrades' marathon and the biggest mistakes first-timers make. Definitely there are differences. Comrades, you need more mileage, as we've discussed. For you, you need about 60 to 70 if you are aiming for bronze, that's per week. Uh, you also need to do a bit of heels and be more patient. Your paces are a bit slower compared to marathon. So to Don't be tempted to train as if you are training for a marathon. Marathon is a bit faster, so your your your paces are a bit faster. So it's important. Don't don't think comrades' marathon paces are too easy, and therefore you will do more. Teach yourself to run slow. It's the most difficult thing. If you run too fast at training, then comrades you will struggle to run slow. So teach yourself to adjust the paces and be prepared to accumulate mileage. Those are mainly the differences. This time around, you need you need heel repeats, you need to do a lot of heel repeats, strength training. So there's more time, more work with with comrades marathon. The mistakes that people do is to run too fast when you train. Even at comrades, starting the race too fast, you won't make it. You need to be patient, you need to build slowly, and yeah. Comrades reward humility. If you're gonna be humble enough, you will make it. Don't be too ambitious and keep changing your plans and seeing different passes and joining passes you don't know or joining people you didn't train with. Stick to your program, do what you have trained for, even with your nutrition, nothing new on a race day. That's what Coach Perry will say. Nothing new on race day. So it's about being disciplined, and I know you're gonna make it. Another voice message comes from Gushle, uh, who is preparing for his fifth comrade's marathon. Well done, you've done a lot, Guthle, and uh believe training is going well. I I hear you're saying you are experiencing some minor injuries, especially during high volume training. Uh, it is common, um, but it's important that you apply the right principles so that you avoid further injuries. And it's important that you manage those injuries and don't take them lightly. Um, so the principles I want to share with you are these ones. Manage your load very well. Load management is critical. Gradually increase your load. Don't do too much too soon. Follow the program and do strength training. I know we spoke earlier that you have not been doing strength training. Don't miss those sessions, they are very important. Strengthen the glutes, strengthen the core, strengthen your legs, your thighs, your your calf muscles. It's very important. You prepare your it, there's a way to prevent injuries. Listen to your body. If pain changes your gait, makes you uncomfortable, please stop a bit and seek help. Physiotherapists are there for a reason. Spend a bit of money, see a physiotherapist, get advice, get treatment, and then start again. Don't be anxious about not keeping up with the program. Spending time rehabilitating will help you. When you come back, you know you come back for good. You just keep going. Because starting comrades marathon with an injury is a recipe for heartbreak. You may not finish your fifth comrades if you're going to run with injuries and not take a break and recover and treat those injuries. Next time I hear from you, I must hear that you've been to a physio and you have treated and rehabilitated those injuries. But otherwise, enjoy enjoy training and remain disciplined. Alright, I appreciate the calls that I receive and will try by all means to answer questions that come up. Now I want to talk a little bit about fueling and nutrition. There's a whole there's a full episode that we recorded some time ago. Please find time to listen to that. It's uh it gives you a nice guide on fueling. And we've had a guest, a specialist, a nutritionist or sports dietitian who advised us on on these things. But I want to emphasize this point to say for Comrades Marathon, you need to practice nutrition. Especially during the long runs, the training, you have to practice eating and educate your gut, train your gut to be able to digest and cope with different kinds of foods along the way. Because if you're gonna aim to if you aim to do that during a race, you will have a problem of stomach issues, and you might not finish your race because of issues. So you must train your gut, it's important. Eat. You need about 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrates per hour when you are training or when you are in a race. So make sure that you eat during race. You can take your gels, you can take your bananas, different carbohydrates, your potatoes, and all of that. So it's important that you you eat and know how to measure your your quantities. And also before run, I know runners will go for long runs without eating before. It's important that you eat before, at least two hours or so before training or before a race. Hydration is important. Hydrate smart and train your stomach as I've mentioned. Never try anything new on race day. These are some of the things that we need to learn as we are into training. Don't forget nutrition. Fuel well so that you can perform well. Running has taught me many things. It has taught me discipline, it has taught me resilience, consistency, and purpose. But running does not define me. Running is not my identity, it is just an expression of my faith. It's a way of showing that I'm a good steward. My running is worship. I know the Comrades Marathon race lasts hours. Races we do last hours, but the race of faith for me lasts a lifetime. So I thank God for health, I thank God for movement, for strength, and for purpose. And I pray that every runner listening to this episode may find meaning in both races because we run both races, I run both races, the one on the road and the one within. May we run both races well. Thank you for joining us again on Move and Thrive. If this episode supported you in any way, do pass it forward and inspire someone else.