27 JANUARY, 2019 | JOHNSONS CRANE MARATHON (42.2km)

OMTOM56 2019 & Comrades 2019 Qualifier ...

A Single Goal in mind ...

This is not my normal kind of race report, as most who know me will know that my passion for running is undoutable about being on the trails, and enjoying mother nature in all her splendor. Despite this, I do feel that there is always a place for the good old road race as maintaining your speed is very important too... Except in this instance it would not be about maintaining speed.

So why Johnson's Crane then you might ask? Well simply because it had to be done... Last year I ran my very first Comrades Marathon, a goal I had set myself many many years ago. At one stage, it even seemed as if this goal may be forgotten. Then 5 years ago, I started running again, and somehow this goal / dream was revitalised. Having had a successfull Comrades last year on the down run, I have to follow it up with an up run this year, and this of course means qualifying for what is nicknamed "The Ultimate Human Race"

I like to get things like qualifying out of the way as soon as possible, but due to a very busy end of 2018, I was not able to qualify at Kaapsehoop, like I did in 2017, and had to start looking for another "Good Qualifying" race. This is where and how Johnson's Crane Marathon came about, and why it had to be done.

2019 started off slow for me, and in the first few weeks I was somewhat worried about my running, more specifically what seemed to be a lack of pace. This found me stressing about a road race for the first time in as long as I can remember. Thanks to the motivation of some good friends, the journey continued and I knew that come race day I should be ready.

Everything was nicely planned out, I would run with not only the best Bio I know, but also a good friend and running partner. Sarah and I set ourselves a sub 3hrs 39mins 59sec goal, meaning we would land ourselves a C-Seeding at Comrades 2019. Lousie offered to be our DES (Designated Driver) for race day as she would be doing the Johnson's Crane Half Marathon and did not want us driving home on "Marathon Legs" - a comment that would hold soooo much water at the conclusions of race day.

Now road races are by no means anything like a trail race so there isn't a long list of compulsory / safety equipment, but it is still important to make sure that you are running as comfortably as possible, and at least some sort of nutrition, so here is my very basic checklist:

Race Day, in ideal conditions ...

Johnson's Crane is a very popular qualifying race for the OMTOM as well as Comrades due to the "Flatter" nature when compared to that of other road races. It is a fast route, which offers many the opportunity for a good qualifying time. This comes with a down side, in that the race tents to be extremely busy, and you have to be sure to get there early on race day.

With the start scheduled for 06:00, it meant leaving home at 04:00, so that we could depart in our convoy at 04:10. So far everything is going according to plan, we even find ourselves finding the best possible parking at the race venue. Louise, Sarah and I shuffle our way to about 20m from the very front of the starting pen. We could not hae asked for a better position to be in.

Suddenly the crowd shuffles forward, somewhat unexpectedly, many starting their watches... It was a false start lol. We lose some meters from the starting position we were in, but nothing too be concerned about. Finally the real starting gun sounds, and we are off.

Louise would be running her own race, so good wishes were passed as we set off. Sarah and I have good start and we start discussing race statergy, what kind of average pace did we want to taget for the start... I had setup pacing goals for the entire race, and this would be enough to safely pace us to our goal time. So being a road race, there is not too much I can discuss here, as there aren't really many views to write home about, and it is really all about maintaining a good pace.

We pass through all four of the first checkpoints I had setup on my watch (5km, 10km, 15km, & 20km), well ahead of each goal, and we are both feeling and running really comfortably. There are no concerns about achieving our goal finishing time.

It is at the 22km mark where I think things changed for me. We took a quick walking stop, to take some Electrolight supplements, and I somehow got myself tangled up. As with the norm on our road runs, Sarah proceeded ahead, with the idea that I would cathcup to her on one of the hills... Now I could use the excuse that it was a flat route and therefore the were no hills for me to do any catching up :-), but I would be lying.

If you want to run, run a mile. If you want to experience a different life, run a marathon.

― Emil Zatopek

Truth is, I had one tiny opportunity of catching up over the last 20km, but it was not to be and Sarah had a phenominal second half. Now finding myself eating dust, the race seemed to take a turn for the worst, as I started cramping from roughly 32km onwards. It was also at this point that I gotten "location drop" message from Louise who had already finshed her run, so that we could find her at the end. Struggling through the water point, I sent Louise a reply, saying that SArah had left me behind and was having a very strong finish. Fortunately for me, we had banked enough time earlier on in the race, and although not comfortable, I knew I could still reach my intended goal if Ijust continued to push through the pain.

As I went around the last corner, there was 200m to go, and I was so grateful to finally be at the end... execpt, the race seems to be longer, in fact by the end of it all I crossed the finish line in a time of 03:36:03 on my watch, having tracked 42.5km. Now many will complain about race distances and al lthe rest, and how bad it is for qualifying, truth is you actually have to plan for these kind of things. One has to remember that there are a number of elements that can affect GPS accuracy and perhaps the route was measured incorrectly, but you always have to plan for the unexpected at every race.

The walk back to the car was extremely uncomfortable as cramping had now really started to set in, and the "Best Parking" spot we had found in the morning, didn't seem so glorius anymore as it was a long and uncomfortable walk back to the car.

Both on the way to the race and on the way back home, we had quite a few laughs, one of the things that makes running with friends even so much more special. Running, no matter what distance it is that you do, really is good "soul food" and I would really try and motivate everyone to take it up, even if it is just your Saturday 5km at your local ParkRun.

The Conclusion

So is Johnson's Crane really such a good race to use as a Qualifier? I would have to agree, the route is pretty flat, with an average climb of around 6m/km, almost half that of your average road race. It is a fast route, double lap route, which means you will have two climbs on the half marathon, and four on the full marathon distance, all of which are really not that steep either, in fact, the race almost seems to be a lot more downill.

Oh and before I forget... this means my that motivation behind this year's Comrades is once again re-inforced, and I ask that anyone who reads this story, to not only make your DONATION to WILDLANDS here, but to also share this with all your friends and family.

If you want to run, run a mile. If you want to experience a different life, run a marathon.

― Emil Zatopek