Comrades Ultra Marathon in South Africa
In this month’s newsletter I’m excited to reveal that I have committed to participating in next year’s Comrades Ultra Marathon in South Africa. The course extends some 89km’s from Pietermaritzburg down to Durban and along the way passes Kearsney College which is where I attended boarding school.
As school kids, every year we would head out the front gate to spend a few hours cheering on the runners. Whilst I am certain that the majority of us had grand plans to one day run the Comrades marathon ourselves, for me, and my lack of natural running ability, this was little more than a pipe dream.
In conjunction with running the Comrades Marathon I have committed to raising both funds and awareness to a very special service by Vinnies, Tom Fisher House.
More on that later but first a little bit of my running history….
In 2006 I completed the Rottnest 10km fun run in exactly 60 minutes averaging 6min/km. It was bloody tough and I was wondering how I would ever get to run a half marathon. In 2008 I completed my first half marathon, the Perth City to Surf, in 2hr 04mins. It took me 3 more attempts to crack the magical 2 hour mark, in 2011, running 1hr54mins.
In 2014 I entered my first marathon, New York. I chose New York so that if I absolutely hated the run, I’d still get to have a great holiday! Despite tough conditions I didn’t hate the run and I completed my first marathon in 4hr 04mins… stoked with finishing but immediately realising I had unfinished business – a sub 4 hour marathon. One year later I completed the Auckland marathon in 3hr 50mins smashing the sub 4 hour marker.
So my journey from the 2006 Rottnest 10km fun run culminated in me achieving a sub 4 hour marathon some 10 years later in New Zealand and at a running pace of 5min28sec / km compared to 6min/km. That 10 year journey has also given me the belief that I can complete the gruelling 89km Comrades Marathon.
As impressive and satisfying as it will be to finish the 89kms in the allowed 12 hour time I am excited to make this journey about something other than just a long term personal goal. Many of you will recall that 2 years ago I participated in the Vinnies CEO sleepout raising both awareness and money in support of homelessness. On any given night in Western Australia, around 10,000 people are experiencing homelessness, with 39% under 25 years of age.
I met some wonderful people through that experience and have found out a lot more about the great work that Vinnies does on a daily basis. One such operation is a homeless crisis shelter in Northbridge for adults, Tom Fisher House. Tom Fisher House is for long-term rough sleepers with complex needs. It accommodates up to 12 people including men, women and couples. The service also accepts people with dogs.
I recently got to visit Tom Fisher House as a Volunteer and not only see firsthand what they do but also meet and chat with some of their most needy Clients.
As a result of this I have decided to set myself the challenge of raising sufficient funds to provide for 89 nights of accommodation at Tom Fisher House, that’s one night per kilometre I am going to run on the day of Comrades. To achieve this goal I need to raise $22,250 over the next 6 months. An ambitious target that I feel confident I will be able to achieve with the fabulous support of you – my friends, Clients, Colleagues and Associates.
I have grown to love running over the past 11 years. It provides not only a great base level of fitness but fabulous mental clarity too. I look forward to sharing my journey with you over the next 6 months and welcome your support.
With just 31 days left in 2017 I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support and wish you and your families a very safe and prosperous festive season.
Kind Regards
Richard