Book description
It is the world's largest and oldest ultramarathon race. It is a
festival celebrating the triumph of human spirit over adversity. It has
a camaraderie that enables ordinary mortals to overcome human fragility
and perform beyond their wildest expectations. In the words of Comrades
marvel Bruce Fordyce, this race 'can inspire ordinary people to do
extraordinary things, and it brings out the best in all of us. This race
has a power to transform, to inspire and to motivate unlike any other'.
The official
Comrades Marathon: The Ultimate Human Race
begins in 1921 and chronologically describes every race in detail, up
to 2010's commemorative 85th event. All the legends are here, in their
full Comrades glory and human frailty: Arthur Newton, Hardy Ballington,
Wally Hayward, Jackie Mekler, Alan Robb, Frith van der Merwe, Bruce
Fordyce, and others. But there is also deeply affectionate and admiring
coverage of the backmarkers, the ones often called 'the real Comrades
runners' - those 'ordinary people' behind the front-runners. This
meticulously researched account will certainly inspire all types of
athletes, but more than that, it will evoke a sense of wonder at what
body and mind can achieve in pursuit of extreme challenge. The
heartbreaking and heart-stopping moments are documented alongside the
countless successes and triumphs, as well as a rich collection of
humourous and quirky anecdotes from Comrades lore. An updated history of
the Comrades Marathon is long overdue, and author John Cameron-Dow is
uniquely qualified to write about this remarkable athletic event: he
holds a prized green number - mark of a ten-time Comrades medallist.
