On a Saturday evening I sat in an old run-down theatre, the kind of theatre that whispers of a once grand room, on a faded faux-velvet seat beneath an upper balcony and chandeliers that bring to mind Phantom of the Opera, with the smell of middle eastern take-away wafting in from the counter next door and mingling with the buttery scent of greasy popcorn. In this room of faded glory I watched six South Africans test their athleticism against the oldest and largest ultramarathon course in the world: The Comrades Marathon. The movie premiered in Canada during the Canadian Sport Film Festival as part of a closing night South African double bill. The audience was almost exclusively filled with non-running South Africans (as evidenced by questions such as ‘is this movie about running’ and ‘how far is a marathon’) and runners (as evidenced by the many Boston Marathon jackets, mine included).
The film format of Comrades is like Spirit of the Marathon, in that the documentary follows six men and women as they train for and ultimately run Comrades. Comrades Marathon is a misnomer, as this gruelling course is more than two marathons in length (90 kilometres/56 miles). The cast ranges from back of the pack finishers to medal contenders. About 12,000 runners sign up for this madness, 11,000 of them local countrymen. In most countries the marathon is the ultimate test of human endurance. In South Africa you aren’t a real runner unless you run Comrades.
Peter, a career miner, is running for a gold medal (top ten finish) and respect in his homeland. He needs to improve his best time by over 40 minutes to be a contender. Andrew was the first South African black man to win after the fall of apartheid and he holds nine gold medals (top ten finishes). He’s out to set a record by winning a tenth gold. Riana, the only female and only professional runner in the group, is also out for a win. During her last attempt she collapsed at 60k. Father is running his 10th Comrades and, as is the custom, upon completion his bib number will be retired. Wearing an umbrella hat and flamboyant gear he seems a bit out-of-place amidst the super-serious runners. Johnny and his pilot (guide) Moses runs to deal with a violent attack that left him blind and epileptic. This will be his 19th Comrades race. Bob the Builder obsessed Nico started running to lose weight. On his second Comrades run he’s after a silver medal (finishing under 7.5 hours). The cast is biased towards faster runners; most registrants finish in the bronze medal range but half of the cast is running for a gold. With about 2000 women and 10000 men running the race, the 1:6 female-male ratio is accurately captured. Unlike the marathon, with upwards of 40% female runners, Comrades is still mostly run by men. No first-timers were included in the film, which is a shame.
The documentary was filmed on an “up” year. The point to point route alternates direction every year such that some years the net elevation change is an increase (up) and other years a decrease (down). Regardless of the direction the course time limit is a strict 12 hours. A series of medals are allocated based on finishing time and position, from gold to copper. As the clock nears 12 hours the massive crowd counts down. When the clock flips from 11.59 to 12.00 the band hilariously plays Taps, the clock is turned off, and the race shutdown. Until next year. If you finish in 12.01 you do not get a medal or a finishing time. No exceptions. The majority of runners finish in the final hours, with about 50% of the runners crossing in the final 10% of time. Runners push themselves to the brink trying to meet the cutoff and the medical tents fill to capacity. Watching the montage of joy and agony of the finish line is one of the best parts of the movie. People collapsing, runners carrying other runners across the finish, runners crawling across the mat, and some not making it at all. It sure put my upcoming 42.2K in perspective. I’m reasonably certain I won’t need to crawl across the finish line.
This movie centres around the Comrades Marathon, but it is about more than just running. The history of the race is woven around the political climate of apartheid and social change. The race started in 1921 to honour WW1 heros. Amazing race footage dating back to the 1920s mirrors the many changes in the country, with apartheid playing the leading role. The film expresses the belief among South Africans that Comrades is more than a race, it is a symbol of unity. The movie and the race (and running) is about more than just reaching a finish line. I like that message. That said, I wish they spent a bit more time on the running. I’d like to know how many miles the runners log in training, if they ran Two Oceans as a tune-up race (I’ve read that many do so), and injuries and set-backs they suffered along the way. The historical footage was awesome, the personal stories interesting, but I’m a details girl and that side of me left a little unsatisfied. Husband has always wanted to run Comrades, but me not so much. After watching this movie though … I’m tempted. Maybe I’ll start with the South African Two Oceans 56Km “Marathon”.
Runshort’s Rating: 4/5 sneakers.
