On Comrades

Tomorrow, May 30, 2010 marks the 85th running of Comrades, a 56 mile race between Pietermaritzburg and Durban. This is a race full of history and tradition and is an iconic event both in South Africa and the running world. The race started with 34 runners in 1921 as a living memorial to the fallen soldiers--their "comrades" of World War I. It has been run every year since, with the exception of the World War II years. Tomorrow, some 20,000+ runners from South Africa and around the world will try their luck in the land of the 1,000 hills. I will join them.

Each year the course changes directions, with runs originating in Durban called "up" runs and those starting in Pietermaritzburg "down" runs. Either way, you will be going both up and down. A lot. Driving the course yesterday, I could see that there is no flat ground to be found. Our Comrades Ambassador was quick to point out that most of the rollers aren't hills. There are 5 hills, all with names: Polly Shortts, Inchanga, Botha's Hill, Fields Hill and, finally, Cowie's Hill, followed by a rip-roaring descent to sea level in Durban. Hold onto to your quads early on kids, the ambassador advises. Those who run the first descents too hard will find coming home to Durban painful at best.

Comrades makes no politically correct claims to their race. It is a running race, not walking (although most will walk some sections, especially the steeper bits). There is a strict time cut off with no mercy, no apologies. You make it or you don't. There are no breaks if you're older or disabled. No wheelchair division. We are not all equal. There are different medals for different finishing times. And that's how it goes. Although we may not all be equal in ability, we are all treated as heroes.

Tomorrow I will get up at 2:00, leaving for Pietermaritzburg at 3:00 for the 5:30 am start. Which means I'm eating and going to bed very soon. I think about the words of Tim Noakes, famous runner, coach and Comrades participant:

'In each race I have learned the desire to quit comes but once. It is a coward that once beaten does not return. But as I begin the descent of Fields Hill, even this knowledge is of no assistance. It is here on this major descent, that I am joined by the final tormentor. The continual jarring of sharp descents from Inchanga, Botha's Hill and Hillcrest has taken its toll on my quadriceps and every step now sends an ever more painful shock down each thigh. Were the human brain able to recall the pain of Fields Hill, no one would run the down Comrades twice.

'This then is the point each runner, from the first to the last, must pass if he is to arrive in Durban on his own feet. It is here, stripped of any of society's false privileges, that he finds no hiding place, no shelter of convenience. Face to face with himself he must look deep inside.' 'These miles,' wrote George Sheehan, 'will challenge everything he holds dear, his value system, his lifestyle. They will ask nothing less than his view of the universe.'

Day before Comrades

Here I am, sitting in Durban thinking about running Comrades tomorrow. I am pretty excited and a little nervous. Rolling into Durban, a city of around 3 million, was a major change from our lovely life in the bush. After leaving Kruger, we explored the wetlands along the eastern Elephant Coast. Great birding and beautiful, warm Indian Ocean. Then boom, right into the city. Durban's streets seem too small to hold the mass of humanity spilling off every square inch. Safety becomes a primary concern, and not from a charging buffalo.

Into the race expo, things look pretty familiar. Although products and services are different, the atmosphere is classic large event with a very international feel. Although the vast number of runners are South Africans, runners are here from around the world. There are about 24,000 registrants to run this 56 mile race tomorrow. Can you believe it? We went on the special, international bus tour yesterday to preview the race course. Holy hills! There is not one flat stretch of the course. Alright, it does run through the so-called "Vally of 1,000 Hills." I guess that should be a clue as to the topography. Our guide was quick to point out that most of the hills we were looking at weren't "hills." Those were the "flat" sections. The HILLS have names. And I will learn their names with my feet tomorrow.

I am just about timed out on my session here, so I'm off. Hopefully I will be just about finishing when most of you reading this will be awake tomorrow. You can take a look at the website: www.comrades.com for results. Here's to a great run! Wish luck to our local Kami in her quest to win!

On hiking in Kruger

Once again, read at your leisure. I am endlessly excited by animals and realize not everyone is as thrilled with dung piles and animals tracks as I am. But for those of you who are, feel free to read on.

We splashed out for 3 day hikes in the bush which were awesome. Each hike was with a small group led by 2 armed guides. Everyone wears dark clothes, walking silently in single file in tight formation behind the guides. Sometimes the pace was slow and introspective. We would pass large dung piles and inspect them. What animal? Rhino. Which rhino? White rhino. Large dung piles created by the dominant male where he would do his business time and time again, kicking up the dung to proclaim his dominance. Females and submissive males would poop in small piles around the main heap. Nearby was a scratching post, a tree knocked over by an elephant and used by rhinos to rub off ticks and other parasites. Walking on you see a large wallow created by elephants for their mud baths. Observe the difference between white and black rhino tracks. There's a lion track, probably from last night. We also learned about the plants and trees, learning which leaves were good for fever and others for mosquito repellent. You slowly melt into the bush and its rhythms.

Watching the guides was an experience in and of itself. Their knowledge of the bush and their incredibly keen senses was a joy to experience. When the pace picked up, it picked up fast. Spotting a lone male buffalo nearby turns things around very quickly. Suddenly we found ourselves hiding behind a bush, then a different bush and finally the biggest one we could find. The buffalo went into an aggressive urination display and then moved closer. The 2 guides had rifles cocked and loaded. They threw several large branches towards the buffalo while stomping the ground and snorting. We were on the ground behind the bush feeling up close and personal with nature. After continuing to approach, the buffalo eventually wandered off. Yes, this animal is one of the "Big 5" for a reason. They are dangerous and aggressive animals, especially lone bulls. Awesome experience.

Leaving our bush hideout, the guides talked about the concept of sharing space. Aside from predation, animals and humans coexist by giving each other space. When the balance is broken, problems occur. We had crossed the magic border and encroached on the buffalo's space. Simple, timeless concept. On a different hike, we utilized the space idea while tracking rhinos. Once spotting the pair we had followed for an hour, we slowly approached, creeping up bush by bush, watching for signs that we were still in the "OK zone." Once there, we hung out in the shade and watched them, no car, no windows, no barriers. Once again, the feeling that this is exactly where I am supposed to be.

Kruger National Park: on animals and training

Wow, wow, wow. I've explored lots of wildlife parks in the world and have seen some amazing creatures, from tigers and wild dogs in India to leopards and elephants in Sri Lanka, to grizzlies and caribou in Canada among others. All have been special. But for sheer impact, Kruger takes the cake. This is a vast park protecting an area larger than the country of Wales containing a variety of ecosystems. Established in 1898, Kruger now stretches some 350 kilometers in South Africa's northeastern corner, bordering Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Joined with many private game reserves, this is a tremendous amount of unfenced land for animals to migrate and roam. South Africa and Mozambique together have created a greater transfrontier park that crosses the border to preserve even larger tracks of land. Plans are afoot to join land in Zimbabwe and Botswana and link an enormous conservation area with existing parks beyond in South Africa. If this can happen, it will be truly incredible. As it is, Kruger is no less than a miracle.

Within 5 minutes of entering the first gate, we had spotted an elephant and rhino right off the road. One of the cool aspects of this park is the variety of ways to explore its terrain. You can drive yourself around on its vast network of paved and gravel roads with incredible wildlife viewing around every corner. This was great fun for us, sort of a journey of discovery and exploration. Enormous herds of impala, wildebeests, buffalo and zebra on the plains. Lions in the grass. Elephants and rhinos in the trees and thickets. An elephant who almost charged our(very little)car. Giraffes feeding on acacia trees. Hippos and crocs in the water. Cheetahs in the grass, on a rock, rolling in the dirt. And birds, birds, birds everywhere. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Everywhere you turn you see something incredible. You just drive up to a spot, stop and see what happens. A 20 mile dive can easily take 2 hours.

Restcamps are scattered throughout the camp and are good places to stop, have a picnic or spend the night. During our week in Kruger, we moved leisurely throughout the park, exploring the different regions and staying in different camps. The camps also provide a different venue for exploring the park in the form of guided hikes and drives. While exploring on our own was great, using the tremendous knowledge of the guides helped round out our experience. Plus you get the chance to see the park at night when private vehicles are not allowed on the road. Everything changes at night. We saw leopards hunting and Hyena packs on the prowl. A mongoose, wildcats and a caracal. Bushbabies in the trees, elephants, rhinos and giraffes. (They pretty much need to eat all the time.) And the biggest cat of them all, the lion. I really like lions. A male with a beautiful copper mane roaring for his pride. 3 gorgeous females with 3 newborn cubs. Watching the pride and the cubs was one of the most special animal interactions I've ever had.

On the more mundane side, I still had to think about my training and upcoming race. Our little huts had kitchen a sort, so we could cook our own food. No running on the roads here. But the restcamps were large and spread out and provided decent running. We were consistently up before 5:00 to take advantage of prime wildlife time, spending most of the morning either hiking or game driving. During the heat of the day, we run around the camp. Animals have enough sense to rest, this human is silly enough to run. Most of the other humans thought we were crazy. I figured it was good acclimatization for my Comrades run. Then maybe a little nap and off for an afternoon hike or night drive. Life couldn't be better.

African Adventures, part I

I feel so incredibly fortunate and grateful to be here. South Africa is an amazing, beautiful country. My only complaint is that 3 weeks will barely be an introduction.

After a very, very long series of flights, we landed in Durban Tuesday afternoon, hopped in a car and headed north. Geof quickly discovered that driving on the left side of the road on the right side of the car while shifting with his left hand was challenging while jetlagged and sleep deprived. We missed the main road and found ourselves negotiating small villages just as school was getting out. The mass of humanity on the roads was out of this world. Very cool, sometimes overwhelming.

Nevertheless, we washed ashore in Mthunzini on the Indian Ocean. I grabbed my running shoes and hit the trails of the nature reserve with the last light of the day. After scoping out the animal chart at the trailhead, I decided I was OK with all creatures minus the snakes. Noting the Green Mamba on said chart, I chose not to step on anything green and slithery. A couple of suspicious branches caused me to do the quickstep. Otherwise, it was a joy. Red Duikers (a small antelope)darted in and around me, monkeys crashed the trees and the birds were out of this world. From sight to sound, smell and feel of the air, everything was different. I was so excited by 1 particular bird, I failed to notice for almost a minute that it was standing near a zebra. Ending on the beach as the sun hit the hills, I felt that this was where I was supposed to be at that moment.

It's 5:00 am and we're set to hit the road. We're less than an hour from Kruger National Park; I'm so excited I can't sleep. This is one of Africa's great parks and I can't wait to mix it up with the big 5 and all their friends. With any luck, we should make it off the waiting list and be able to hike for 3 days (with an armed guide). Did I mention how excited I am?

Leaving tomorrow

Oh boy, I want to be in South Africa already, with my endless to-do list, packing and the long plane ride behind me. Leaving for a trip, whether long or short, is a lot like moving: you're glad when you're there, but it's a pain in the ass getting it done. I've always felt like this quote sums up my feelings during the final countdown to departure:

"Is there anything as horrible as starting on a trip? Once you're off, that's all right, but the last moments are earthquake and convulsion, and the feeling that you are a snail being pulled off your rock." - Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Alright, off to get more stuff done.