CC Comrades Corner - Andrew Dollenberg

Comrades pace charts

Planning your race day is as critical as the last 6 months of training.

Below are a few pacing charts for the up-run. These come from Don Oliver - acclaimed coach and runner, and have been widely published and used in the past.

Here is an Excel based pace chart / calculator, which I have found particularly useful in the past. It gives 5km splits, and allows for a varied pace taking into consideration the hills and undulations. Also, it is colour coded, which makes it simple to use when your brain starts shutting down as you get further into the run.

Remember though - a pacing chart is only a guide, and the only guarantee on offer is that your day will not match any pace chart. Your pace chart is like a teddy bear - just there for comfort. It is a nice reference as to where you plan to be when, especially when you reach the point that you can no longer do the maths.

Make sure you choose a realistic finish time, based on your fitness and training that you have put in this year, and plan your pace chart (and race) on that. And consider taking 2 pace charts with you - the Plan A, and a backup Plan B. If the wheels fall off, at least you have another realistic goal, rather than just an option of 'hang in until I finish'.

Too fast is worse than too slow. NEVER go ahead of your planned race pace. It will catch up with you later. If you find yourself ahead of your pace chart, especially early in the race, then consider slacking off a bit or even taking a walk break. There is no such thing as 'time in the bank'. The bank charges interest, and often demands a balloon payment at the end.

Good luck with the final preparations!

Bill Rowan sub-9 hours Up Run

Kms to Go	Stopwatch Time
80	0 hour 44 mins
70	1 hour 42 mins
60	2 hours 41 mins
50	3 hours 37 mins
43 - Halfway	4 hours 15 mins
40	4 hours 40 mins
30	5 hours 40 mins
20	6 hours 41 mins
10	7 hours 43 mins
5	8 hours 20 mins
Finish	8 hours 50 mins

Bronze Sub-10 hours Up Run

Kms to Go	Stopwatch Time
80	0 hour 50 mins
70	1 hours 52 mins
60	2 hours 55 mins
50	3 hours 56 mins
43 - Halfway	4 hours 37 mins
40	5 hours 04 mins
30	6 hours 12 mins
20	7 hours 21 mins
10	8 hours 31 mins
5	9 hours 15 mins
Finish	9 hours 50 mins

Bronze Sub-11 hours Up Run

Kms to Go	Stopwatch Time
80	0 hour 52 mins
70	2 hours 00 mins
60	3 hours 10 mins
50	4 hours 19 mins
43 - Halfway	5 hours 00 mins
40	5 hours 30 mins
30	6 hours 44 mins
20	7 hours 59 mins
10	9 hours 16 mins
5	10 hours 06 mins
Finish	10 hours 45 mins

Vic Clapham Sub-12 hours Up Run

Kms to Go	Stopwatch Time
80	1 hour 08 mins
70	2 hours 17 mins
60	3 hours 29 mins
50	4 hours 40 mins
43 - Halfway	5 hours 30 mins
40	6 hours 00 mins
30	7 hours 20 mins
20	8 hours 41 mins
10	10 hours 03 mins
5	10 hours 54 mins
Finish	11 hours 36 mins