En wat zijn de verwachtingen voor Two Oceans Marathon en Comrades Marathon 2021? We vroegen het onze Zuid-Afrikaanse vrienden! We stelden Brett Florens, Brad Brown, Axel Rittershaus, Julia Shepherd en Frank Steyn dezelfde drie vragen. Hieronder hun reacties.

Brett: “It was disastrous, but ‘Die boer maak ‘n plan!'”

Hi. I’m Brett Florens. Was ready to run my 26th Comrades this year. It didn’t happen. I’m a photographer, ultrarunner and chairman of Regent Harriers in Durban North.

1. Covid-19. How did it influence your personal life? What’s your view on the current situation in SA?

Covid has been disastrous for me as a photographer. All weddings, events and workshops have been cancelled from the end of March till now. There was very little work apart from some online teaching programs I was doing. It took a little bit of introspection and mindset change to stay positive. And I think running has helped me in my personal life especially because you have to ‘vasbyt’ and dig deep in ultramarathon situations. So I looked at the time in isolation as a marathon and approached it from the same mental capacity.

And in terms of the current situation in South Africa. It’s very encouraging to see that we are allowed to gather again with groups of more than 500 people outside. Because Regent Harriers – where I’m the chairman of – had to close down for a pause of several months. This hasn’t happened before in the more than 60 years of history in the Durban north area where every Tuesday and Friday a group of more than 400 people from all different clubs and run together a 10K route.

Economy of South Africa has been hit very hard. There has been a decrease in GDP of more than 50%. International travel stopped. Tourism stopped. But South Africans are very strong in looking for areas of opportunities to improve and as we say in Afrikaans ‘Die boer maak ’n plan’. So I’m very positive about that!

2. How has Covid-19 influenced your running? Give a pro and a con!

My running progress under Covid has been really really good. It looks as if I will have the biggest mileage for the year, which is a great thing for me. I have never been this fit, not fast but fit. Going out for a run makes life feel some more better, you feel so more energetic. My running has definitely benefitted from the time off that I had during the Covid period. Obviously the downside is that we didn’t have any opportunity to race

This was going to be my 26th Comrades. And I was really looking forward to ik. I convinced one of my best friends to come with. And he entered. ‘Helaas’ it didn’t happen this year no runs.But from a positive perspective time on the road has been very therapeutic and very productive in terms of fitness. My Strava shows it. And that’s what counts 😉

3. What about Two Oceans/Comrades 2021? Yes, no or maybe? And a why!

We are not certain of the future. We don’t know if these races are going to happen next year. We don’t know if any race is going to happen, in Europe, in the States or in South Africa. But I am absolutely going to train as if I were running because I do know – although Two Oceans and Comrades are amazing experiences – it’s really about the lifestyle of discipline and training in trying to reach your goals that drives me to run. The race days are the ‘cherry on the top’. So if you’re used to run ultramarathons and you do it year after year you have to keep up that level of mental dedication and determination towards those runs. It brings me a lot of happiness and reward.

So I will be training for Two Oceans 2021 and Comrades 2021 as if they are going to happen. And then. Praying that they will happen!

Brad: “It will be a massive celebration of being able to run again”

My name is Brad Brown and married to Christine and we have 3 children. I live in Cape Town. After having a 20-year radio career I decided 2 years ago that I needed a change and went full time into building a business along with Lindsey Parry, who is the Official Comrades Marathon Coach.

I took up running in 2009 because I wanted to run Comrades. I grew up in a Comrades household (my Dad has run 11) and as a child, I remember standing on the side of the road year after year supporting my Dad and the thousands of other runners making the journey between Pietermaritzburg and Durban.

As a young kid, I always dreamt that someday I would run that race too. In 2009 my radio career was taking off and I was the typical radio DJ who drank and ate too much and had ballooned to 165kgs.

In June 2009, after watching Comrades again I made the decision that I was going to be on the start line in 2010. I got to work and in 2010 I ran my first Comrades at 135kg. I missed the cut off that year and went back in 2011 and finishing in 11:39. I’ve finished 3 Comrades and was planning to go back in 2020 but that will have to wait for 2021.

Funnily enough (and I am embarrassed to say this) but I’ve never run 2 Oceans. I live 300m from the route so get to run parts of it quite often but have never run the race itself.

1. Covid-19. How did it influence your personal life? What’s your view on the current situation in SA?

To be honest, other than having my kids at home all the time it hasn’t changed much. Our business at CoachParry.com is all online based so I had been working from my home office for the last two years anyway.

I personally think when lockdown started our government made the best decisions they could with the information they had at the time. Since then more info about the virus and how to treat it has come to light and they could have possibly opened our economy a bit sooner. I think we’re heading in the right direction. Daily cases are dropping, our economy and borders are opening up and hopefully, races will be back on the calendar soon.

2. How has Covid-19 influenced your running? Give a pro and a con!

My name is Julia Shepherd, I am a runner since 2008, not the fastest one but I truly love it. I live in Cape Town and organize holidays for visitors and athletes in Southern Africa for the last 12 years (red. Beyond the Finish is de partner van Hardlopen in Zuid-Afrika). I have completed 8 Half Marathons and 1 Ultra Marathon at Two Oceans.

1. Covid-19. How did it influence your personal life? What’s your view on the current situation in SA?

The Covid 19 Lockdown prevented me from running or doing sports for the first 5 weeks since I was at home with our then 13 month old daughter and afterwards we could exercise again but in a very limited way. Not being able to see our friends and family and losing your freedom of doing things has been very challenging for me personally. I believe that we have past the peak of Covid-19 in South Africa and even though the pandemic has affected many people here, in many ways the initial negative predictions have fortunately not come true.

2. How has Covid-19 influenced your running? Give a pro and a con!

In the first 9 weeks of the hard lockdown I wasn’t able to run at all as the window of 6-9am for exercise was just too short while taking care of our daughter. Afterwards I did go for the occasional 5-8 km run again which felt wonderful. I realize though how much fitness I’ve lost. Pro: I was forced to rest. Contra: I really miss our running friends and the social aspect of running.

3. What about Two Oceans/Comrades 2021? Yes, no or maybe? And a why!

I believe both Comrades and Two Oceans 2021 will take place. We will move to Level 1 (the last level before returning to pre- Covid conditions) from next week on because our infection rates have dropped signifantly over the last few weeks and the recovery rate is very encouraging. I believe we are past the worst of it and there are still 6 months to go until Two Oceans and 8 months until Comrades.

Axel: “Missing the adrenalin of those wonderful races”

Axel Rittershaus, born 1970 in Germany, living in Cape Town since 2010. Got bitten by the Ultra Marathon Bug in 2007 by getting hold of a Two Oceans brochure, running my first ever marathon in 2007 and first Two Oceans 2009. See my site Ultra Marathon Man for more background and my running adventures.

11 Two Oceans (Blue Number 5528), 7 Comrades, multiple other Ultra Marathons, 1 Two Rivers Marathon.

1. Covid-19. How did it influence your personal life? What’s your view on the current situation in SA?

My personal life was massively impacted due to the impact on my own business, which usually takes me abroad 6-7x per year. But in the meantime I am very grateful for this change.

2. How has Covid-19 influenced your running? Give a pro and a con!

I ran a 50 km training run just before Two Oceans got cancelled and running came to a standstill for 5 weeks (where I could only run 3-5 km in small circles).

The Pro: I recovered really well from all the training I had put in for Two Oceans and Comrades in 2020. After a few weeks I woke up without an alarm clock because my body was well rested

The Con: Missing the people, the vibe, the interactions, the experience, the adrenalin of running those wonderful races and meeting my running friends

3. What about Two Oceans/Comrades 2021? Yes, no or maybe? And a why!

Comrades 2021: Yes, I believe the world will have learned how to handle the virus and at that time vaccinations will be widely used

Two Oceans 2021: Most likely, maybe in a different form like smaller fields, more starting groups, etc. Very much depending on the vaccination and infection rates

Frank: “I have grown as a person seeing things differently”

Hi I’m Frank Steyn I manage a Dutch Sports program (red. Run4Schools) on the Cape Flats in Cape Town Western Cape. I’m 32 years old and have been a community worker for a almost 13 years I’m a runner by passion and really enjoy everything about running I ran the Two Oceans Ultra Marathon 3 times and this year 2020 would’ve been my first Comrades Marathon 😔

1. Covid-19. How did it influence your personal life? What’s your view on the current situation in SA?

COVID-19 made things a bit difficult in the being as we went into a lockdown it was a bit tough but personally I have grown as a person seeing things differently.

2. How has Covid-19 influenced your running? Give a pro and a con!

Pro – To be honest it made me strong runner I could really set goals for myself. Con – It was tough not training with a group.

3. What about Two Oceans/Comrades 2021? Yes, no or maybe? And a why!

If those races are going to be available I will be definitely taking part in it.