2020 |
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In the height of the Covid-19 Pandemic, the Ultimate Human Race was postponed. For context, something that had not happened since WWII, 75 years ago. But would the race be back on for its centenary celebration next year? Hopes were high. |
2021 |
100 years prior, 38 men stood outside the Pietermaritzburg City Hall to begin what would become one of the foremost ultra marathons in the world - now, 100 years later, in 2021, the starting line once again stood empty. |
2022 |
1177 days since the last Comrades Marathon, over 13,000 hearts beat in unison on the streets of Pietermaritzburg, ready once again to take on the Ultimate Human Race. |
In late July, Pietermaritzburg was dotted with budding runners, all trying to familiarise themselves with the route once more and get those km’s in. But something was different. There was a buzz in the air. Every person you met on the route had a smile tugging at the corner of their lips. Comrades was back, and we all knew it.
The Murray & Roberts Running Club arranged a camp and invited their team down to Pietermaritzburg; what’s important to note is that this was to be the first time some of these friends would see each other since the onset of Covid-19. This was not just about Comrades, this was about the M&R Family.
Team AdventureLife was asked to capture the memories of the weekend, an opportunity which we immediately jumped at. So, there we were, sunrise in PMB with our cameras in hand, ready to document this heated race. That is not what happened at all.
The M&R team were so excited to be back together that they hardly separated at all. Lively conversations along the road, jokes and laughter throughout the day and not an ounce of anything other that wholehearted support.
We were afforded an opportunity to visit the Comrades House, too, which certainly contextualises the importance of this race for us as South Africans, as well as the rest of the world. Walking around the museum, you could just feel such an intense energy; from the walls, from the history and from the team.
The special guests, the team talks, the braais, and of course, the runs over this weekend were as much about Comrades preparation as it was about celebrating the family that is the Murray & Roberts Running Club. However, what truly meant the world to us as AdventureLife, was being along the route at the actual Comrades Marathon and hearing shouts, seeing smiles and even having a stopped chat or two every single time yellow and black passed us by.
We, too, became part of the family. |
Ready for some goosebumps? Take a look at our final video from this powerful weekend.
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