Dave's Comrades #13 14 June 2026

This year I decided to join Liz in the San Parks Honorary Rangers Charity batch, they really do look after their athletes. Unbelievably welcoming and we knew 2 of the volunteers which made it even more special. So great to catch up with Cathy Nash at registration. We each received a custom written message as below.

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Shoes

As I showed in my previous post my new Brooks Adrenaline GTS 25's were a total disaster. Not sure why shoe makers are intent on making trampoline shoes. Having nearly wrecked my 60km I just left them aside , I did try them about a week before Comrades on a 10k but am  totally convinced they are much closer to a neutral shoe and have very minimal anti-pronation support. I know someone else who has abandoned Adrenaline as well . How the sole can wear out in 200km I have no idea.

I took the shoes I did last years Comrades with, added some ShooGoo to the heal and did a 20 odd km and they felt fine so they became my 2026 Comrades shoes. The picture on the right from the night before the race.    These shoes have done just under 1000km with no issues at all 

After Comrades they showed hardly any extra wear. They felt comfortable and performed well, I honestly believe I made the correct decision to use my old shoes, going forward I may use the 25's on 21km races. I will need to find new long distance shoes for my next long races, I will consider NB860, GT2000 and Kayano to start with. 

Leading up to Comrades I had a few issues

• Knees still felt a bit sore from the 55km that i did
• Hamstrings felt a bit tight but nothing like last year 
• My walking has been slower this year which made me concerned
• My shoes

As usual we stayed at Nikki in Hilton , she only got back from Moz on Friday so we had time to deliver our support package to Nigel in Howick and proceed to Comrades House to collect our race numbers, and our supporters pack from San Parks where we had a long chat with Cathy Nash who we both worked with 20 years ago.. This was followed by a great evening catching up with Ian and Sascha. Amazing how little kids become such awesome adults.

An early morning forest walk was followed by a trip to Karkloof Market for breakfast, then back to Nikki and a quick visit to finish are but that appeared off bounds which was a pity, having seen the weather forecast we decided to get donation blankets for the bus trip down then returned to Nikki to get ready. 

I really struggle with the concept of setting an alarm for 1:30 AM, but I guess we do what we have to do.. We took a bag with to the start, arriving at Longmarket school we were sent in to a car park and straight out to the busses, missed the one leaving at 2:30  but no issue bus was full at about 3am so off we went. It is quite relaxing for me not to have to worry about the start and we got into our pens at about 4:30. The pen was quite full , we had brought packing material to sit on so bums were kept warm. I found the buildup to the start a bit slow, less singing but still a good build up. The actual feelings that erupt at the start are indescrible so you need to join us next year to experience it.

I quite enjoy watching Group 1 disappearing away into the dark, slowly we moved forward, I must say that the smaller batches are much better as there is way less pushing and shoving. Once we got to the front it was pretty much ready set go and off we were. 

It was good to see Mavis Morris doing her 11th and Marinda Ludick back looking much happier this year doing her 32nd which is awesome, saw both in the first 300m of the race, a bit later I saw Margiet and walked with her for a bit as the climb to PMB started in all earnest. 

I still follow Norrie Williamson's even effort principle because I believe essentially meaning that you use the same effort no matter the gradient, I find this resonates with me. One can use heart rate as an easy reference guide to keep your effort consistent you need to bring in some creep as with time your HR will creep higher. Looking back over my HR from the day, my highest HR was mostly the last 10 odd km before Drummond.       

My goal was to try and average around 7:40 per km but pretty soon I realised that  was not going to happen. I seemed to settle at around 8:00 per km which was fine as the first goal is always a medal , after that is assured you can worry about speed and time. 

When Tobie Reyneke ran next to me going up Cowies he warned me not to lean so much forward. Seeing here during my brief time walking with Bronwyn it is obvious how I hunch my shoulders almost trying to pull myself forward, I think I did improve after this. Fields Hill was the last time I saw either Bronwyn who steamed ahead or Tobie who did his normal Tobie thing by helping Victor Boston who was struggling with nutrition.

I find it amazing how on the day of Comrades I just seem to get in a zone and keep moving, mostly I am just checking my pace and ensuring that I am still on schedule to finish. I really do find it strange that my total focus is just to keep moving and hardly ever really think of not making it, it is much more about ensuring that the finish is still safe.

I find the multiple group start seems to make it more congested for me. I found both the slower athletes from group 1 and the fastest from group 3 seemed to congest around me. Not too sure why but I really got the impression that the roads were more busy, but interestingly the busses seemed to be much less intrusive and had minimal effect on me.    

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Amazingly I never felt my hamstring , at one stage I thought of maybe transferring my knee guard from my left knee to my right, but never did it.  It was really good to get a Heineken 0 and an energy bar from Nigel as I entered Hillcrest. Just seeing a friendly face along the way  builds confidence and the feeling of support that it brings with it is such an encouragement.

Going through the bottom of Botha's Hill I was very pleased when the 11:30 bus went past and because of it's size it forced the spectators off the road and giving us more space to get through. I saw Trevor and Lorriane at Alvestone , I see them there pretty much every year.  Going down to Drummond is always a special time as it means we are nearly halfway.. Nchanga - Kypies absolute nememis - was a longish pull but seemed to pass by quite quickly, I settled on a nice pace and just kept keeping on.

Just after the SanParks water table at 60km I saw Liz , she was wandering over the road and was complaining about needing her beer, which was about 3km away. She really could have done with getting a drink and food at Alvestone - something to consider for next year. I got to Nigel took my beer and energy bar and was off again. I felt pretty comfortable and was very relaxed knowing that if nothing went wrong all should be ok. 

Going down Little Polly's was interesting to see the new road being built, this continues all the way up Pollys as well , just the bridge to complete and this will potentially allow massive numbers next year. As I crested Polly Shortts it was amazing to see the sunset and Nikki and Sascha who had to come to support . This was really a special meet up and a sip of beer to keep me going. I now knew that if I averaged below 9 min/k I was safe and I never went over 9 in that section. As I came past Comrades House I heard the familiar sound of a bus and was so determined not to allow them to pass me . I felt like I was really flying in that last km as I led the bus down the final straight. 

The final check for medal scan was efficient and going in to the green number club and getting a wrap and a drink was good. I then checked on my phone to see where Liz was and my phone's last update for her was Drummond. Nikki had said Liz was just behind me at Pollys  and should make it,  I was now confused. I messaged Nigel and Nikki as to her status, somehow I got no notifications of replies. I decided to go and check if Liz had collected her tog bag, I saw her bag but could not retrieve it as I had no recollection of what was  inside.. Note top self take a photo next year of what we put inside. The finish area is a sealed off area, so I went back to the green number tent to see if Liz was there she was not.  I then checked my phone and saw that she had finished at 12:04 so where was she... To check in medical you have to leave the finish area..... So I went back to tog bags, the bag was not there on the field ( If I was more awake I would have remembered  the manager brought the bag to the fence to id he left it there) So now I went on a wild goose chase to Vitality. When I got  there Liz called and said she was in Medical with cramps. I now needed the sticker for her tog bag. A nurse brought it out to me , got the tog bag and when i got back to medical I checked my phone and  saw the messages from medical .. 

To cut a long story short if Liz's finish had updated on the app or least the second last mat, by the time I noticed messages it was way to long. It is not really that safe walking around with your phone out all the time. I heard of a woman who lots her handbag etc. Check all your messages, if I had I probably would have seen Nikkis message. I asked if Liz went past her at 17:19 she replied yes so I knew she was close. I missed the next message to say she had finished. If I got that I would have met her in Green number... One does irrational things when tired. But it was good that we both took our phones as we could communicate eventually. 

Overall for me a great day out , not so much for Liz but we have made a note of our mistakes and will rectify next year.. 

Next saga

We walked down to where the car was parked and liz needed a drink       

I must have walked another 5 km after the race , I eventually left Liz at the garage in the middle yellow circle below having searched every car park in site only to later discover our car was parked in the blue circle. We eventually made it back to Nikki and are on the road to recovery.

 

I got a bad cold from Tuesday  which affected our time at Thendele and now Liz has got it to but hopefully we  can kick the gremlin into oblivion pretty soon.

        

Shoes glorious shoes !updated!

I have used Adrenaline for all my long races since model 13 or 14

Generally I find them to be great shoes hence using them for so long.

I have walked 8 Comrades and a 100 miler in them. I tried a pair of Saucony Glide which were not so great in 2022, caused some knee pain but not like yesterday

I started walking in 2008 with Asics Nimbus.I was analysed on video on a treadmill which confirmed no pronation. As a test I was sent to the Asics importer at the time looked at my shoe and moved me to Kayano. Which I used for 2 or so years and moved to Adrenaline .

I was pretty happy with them up till 24 , which I did Comrades 2025 in.

On average I get 1600km per shoe, I do need to add a bit of shoe goo on the heels as a heal striking walker that is acceptable.

The picture below is after 160km 1 x 10km 1 x 21 2x 42 and 1 x 48

 

 

Add in a 55km and I am already through the sole.

 

But this is not actually my biggest problem, my knee tends to bend in when landing , the stability I need is to prevent this from happening.  I tend to get pain in my Sartorius as it passes the knee joint.

I use a patella knee strap to apply pressure to the Sartorius which massages it and eases the pain. All my Adrenalines to date  have supported me sufficiently ( the Saucony Glide did not)

These 25’s are sooo soft that they collapse in way too much. I had to cut my Midrand 60 long walk short yesterday . I ended up walking really slowly and trying to work out what the cause.

Looking down while walking I could actually see how my foot was landing and moving way past where it should then bouncing back to the correct position. How on earth can you call these shoes stability shoes when they feel like you are walking on balloons..  

I am now in dire straights, not knowing what to do for Comrades this year which will be my 13^th

Liz is still happy with her Ghosts after I converted her about 10 years ago.

 UPDATE:

I may just use last years shoes, they have better support and  have "only" done 950km. 

I am trying to put a picture here but Google says that this site cannot be accessed by DaveAWalker as it belongs to DaveAWalker.... I can add text...

NMC Fast 3 in 1

 

Liz and I really enjoy this race, we stay at the same place every time and it is just so peaceful and quiet.

Martine from Midrand Striders joined us again and did the 21. We drove down on Friday, collected our numbers and off to out Accom for a relaxing evening, good braai, with a little rain and  some wine... It is really difficult getting up and 2:45, but once up the adrenaline takes over. 

Caught the bus to the start which was further along the road to Sabie as the finish was now at Riverside Mall and not the stadium so no more heartbreak hill. Met up with the Dollenbergs ( ex Midrand) on the start line and had a bit of catchup, they ran together and did comfortable sub 4's, must be amazing to actually be an athlete. 

I asked Liz to stay with me to halfway but after 10km I realised that the 2:15 goal was not going to happen, I offered Liz the option to go ahead but she stayed with me. In the past I have done more running training but felt that  it affected me too much so did not run much this year. I felt this lack of training and needed to take it easy.  I only ever run the downs, knowing the route helps as I tend to start walking at very similar spots very time.

Liz got me to half way in 2:21 then took off like a rocket, eventually completing her first ever negative split which was really awesome.. I carried at sub 7 feeling mostly good but I could feel the camber quite a bit and on along stretch down to 30km I suddenly felt a twinge in my knee, so moved closer to the edge  of the road which was  more level. I walked quite a but down teh hill, knowing we had some climbing ahead , I felt I was walking well so kept on keeping on. 

Nearer the end I was able to jog again , Race screen    (https://apps.garmin.com/apps/6a30651b-ca67-41a5-96dc-60634983fc93) is awesome as you can correct the pace, in my case I clicked a lap at 20 to go, which corrected the watch to be 20km at 20.2 which gave me a slight buffer. The only issue I have is that some times from the 42km mark it can be 400+ m to the finish line but it was not in  this case , even though my watch ended on 42.5km I was still safely home in time. Qualifier done. 

Liz was 2nd in age category for the marathon, Martine was 2nd in age category in the 21 and I qualified,  very successful day all round!

We will be back...           

Mielie Marathon 17 Jan 2026

Heard of this race in 2008 from Tony Green while doing my first Marathon in Delmas, eish took a long time to get there....

I convinced Liz that this was a good, booked a guest house and we decided to visits friends in Orkney afterwards.. 

We set off on Friday , found our Guest house and decided to do our pre Comrades snacky meal in the garden. Off to collect our numbers and Margit hijacked Liz while I waited in the queue. Got our numbers, set off to find a Woolies.. got a great selection of snacks and headed back to the our GH. 

Had a beer at the pool, snacks in the Garden and early to bed. Three rooms were taken by Marathoners.. A lot of activity at 4 am and off to the start, parked under a tree. Saw Roto interviewing a few Legends, Julian "1001" Karp, The Running Mann, The Running/Walking Keith etc.

It was so awesome to be in the second row of athletes, Liz was in front of me.. I secretly knew that I needed a perfect event to qualify but also still know its only January. I went through my first park run in 34:30 and begun to feel like it was my day, Julian had warned me about the climb into Odendaalrus , slow poison which I thought carried on till the 42km mark. Flat is hard and you work all the way. This is the flattest marathon I have ever done, it just seemed like there was no respite. 

I think my "fame" has preceded me in some quarters as Maggs who was  the 5hr bus driver greeted me by name, also promising not to block my path ... subsequently I realised she was the 11:30 Comrades bus driver who I had a few interactions with.. This was a small well run bus...   Run with Maggs

Small municipalities rally battle with Sewers etc, so we had a few sections where pace increased in spurts, we passed the legendary Louis Massyns house which was special.. 

Using my usual equal effort, I just kept going, my AHR was  pretty much  138 the whole way, from memory I am normally in the low 150's on a marathon so I guess either I am a bit fitter or just unfit... I really enjoyed doing this marathon, not often I can do a 42 with hardly any pressure, I had hoped for a 4:58 but by halfway on my watch it was on 2:28 and the actual halfway by road markings was 2:31 ish so I knew qualifying was out so I decided to just enjoy the day out. 

I cannot say it was very scenic route but it was really enjoyable to spend so much time in the countryside, mostly on a lonely path with hardly anyone around. I really prefer these out of town races, all the 47th Mielie races had a total of about 1000, 298 official finishers in the marathon, also helped Liz get a podium for fist 60 up lady... 

After the prize  giving we went back to our GH where we showered and headed to Orkney to see Eve and her Niece Eurika. We were treated  like royalty and managed to restore all the weight we had "lost" , what an awesome recovery and catch up...

Roto did his usual race review and I have included the link here.