Comrades Ultra Marathon Update
What a final month of the 2018 financial year it has been…
I celebrated my 40th Birthday by jumping on a plane to South Africa to compete in the 90km Comrades Ultra Marathon. The culmination of 9 months intensive training and 6 months fundraising for Vinnies Tom Fisher House had arrived and all that was left to do was jog down the hill….90kms and be sure to finish under the 12 hour cut off!
There is something special about the Comrades Marathon, not just because of how long the road race it is, but everything about it that stems from the name.
Meeting the Perth based C team at the top of Reabold Hill one Saturday morning by chance opened us up to an enormous support network right here in Perth, some 8,000 kms away from the race! These were volunteers, largely connected to the race having completed it from 1 to 28 times before or having a partner that was completing the race. What amazed me about this humble group of amazing individuals was the time they were prepared to give and the way in which they supported each of the 24 individuals heading to SA from Perth to compete. That level of support continued from the moment you arrived in South Africa, it is literally a running race that stops the nation!
We arrived in South Africa a week before the event and had plenty of time to adjust to the timezone and thankfully plenty to do to ensure I wasn’t sitting around getting nervous. In the blink of an eye it was time to head off to where we were staying the night before Comrades to try and get some sleep. A 5.30am start in Pietermaritzburg ensured we were up early and on the road by 3am arriving about an hour before the gun went off.
At this point the nerves had kicked in, the buzz was electric, 20,000 people preparing to tackle the gruelling course. With 15 minutes to go the South African national anthem began, followed by Shosholoza and then Chariots of Fire, goose bumps everywhere, good lucks all around and then we were off… in the dark, determined to stick together.
My brother Tim, mate Troy, and I had committed to running Comrades together. The only real counselling that came out of the C team was this was highly improbable to achieve and that it was important we ran our own race.
Despite the counselling we were determined to give it a red hot go and I’m proud to report that 10 hrs 50 mins 55 secs later we crossed the finish line together all recording the exact same time.
This year was a “down” run but let me tell you there are plenty of hills to get up on the down run. The spectator support was outstanding, it’s not dissimilar to what you experience along the New York marathon course, only over double the distance.
Proudly wearing our Australian shirts we were inundated from start to finish with cricket team jibes, support, encouragement and even thanks for coming all the way to visit South Africa and compete!
The people on the course and along the course go a long way to making it such a special race. My wife Rox and the kids with the thanks of local, Malcolm, and best mate Chris (who flew in from LA) managed to get along the course to see us in two spots before making it down to Durban to be at the stadium when we ran in.
They had been on this journey with me the past 9 months with a huge amount of sacrifice made through my commitment to the training and it was incredibly important and special for me to have them by my side through the day and at the end. Of course the experience would not have been the same without the support of my fellow Comrades, Tim and Troy. Finally a race where Tim didn’t pip me at the finish although he has been quick to remind me that he only needed 650km of training this calendar year compared to my 900km!
The other major motivator for me has been my fund raising initiative for the amazing work of Vinnies Tom Fisher House. Located on Beaufort Street in Perth, Tom Fisher House is a remarkable facility that caters for 12 rough sleepers with the most complex of needs, providing them with 7 nights of respite.
But committing to raise $22,500 for this facility was only half the challenge, I wanted to gain an understanding of what it means to be homeless and the past few months I have stopped and spoken to many homeless people on my travels and what is remarkable is they all have a story, they all come from a family, they all want for a better future and they greatly appreciate it when you take 5 minutes out of your day to say hello and offer them some words of encouragement or support.
I’m incredibly humbled by the generosity of our staff, contractors, family, clients and friends who have ensured I not only reached my target but have now raised over $23,000 for this great cause. Much more work is still needed and if you feel inclined it is certainly not too late to make a donation which will be very gratefully received. Donation link here.
But it’s not just about money, it’s about awareness and it’s about motivating others to step up in their own special way. Having tied my initiative to Vinnies annual CEO Sleepout I spent the night at the WACA last Thursday and it was inspiring to hear all the other positive stories from people out there doing their bit before we braved the cold and concrete to gain some small insight on what it is really like to be homeless. I encourage each and every one of you to consider what you might be able to do to assist people less fortunate than yourself.
For now, for me, it’s time to have a little rest, sit back and reflect on the journey that started when I first arrived at Kearsney College some 28 years ago, and decide what’s next!
In the meantime I hope that the 2018 financial year has finished off well for you in your endeavours and the green shoots that have well and truly appeared across Perth continue to grow.
All the very best
Richard
If you would like to know more about my Comrades run, Tom Fisher House or the CEO Sleepout I participated in last week, feel free to give me a call on 0411 144 230.
