Almost.
The drunken students at Pinetown have given us the strength to run again next year - because we wouldn't want to be like them. 70km behind us, and just a few more to go, though at this stage, you battle to calculate how far it still is or how much time you still have. You have become a victim of 'Marathon Maths' which renders your brain useless at simple calculations of distance, time and pace. Don't stress - you should have a pace chart with you that will tell you exactly how far and how long.
 |
| Pinetown to the finish |
As the picture shows above, it is mostly down hill for these 20km.
The remaining hills are fairly small, but on broken and tired
legs, can still be very daunting. The 70km behind you has been a
physical battle. Now, it is all just mental. The next 20km will be
the fight of your life - an emotional roller coaster of whether
you will become a superhero, achieve your goal, just miss it, or
totally fail. You will probably feel like quitting a dozen times
in this last stretch. But you will overcome this at least 13
times. The end is near...
Pinetown and over Cowies
The road through Pinetown is long, straight and slightly downhill. As mentioned previously, the crowds in this area are all too supportive, bordering on irritating. All part of the day - live with it.
As you near the end of Pinetown, the road suddenly starts climbing in front of you. And then the road bends to the right - and climbs even more. This is Cowies Hill. Only 1.5km long, but fairly steep, and will bring most runners to a walk at some point.
You know you are at the top of Cowies when you reach a water point and a mobile TV broadcast village. This is probably the biggest TV spot, excluding the finish. The best way to ensure you don't make a total fool of yourself, or waste too much time for that matter, is to avoid the TV cameras, and especially avoid the TV presenter that will be trying to interview random passing runners. Chances are, you will have dried snot on the side of your nose, crusty salt on your face, and not look your prettiest. If asked an intelligent interview question, you will mumble something incomprehensible on national TV. Not good for your CV. Just run past.
Westville and the highway
At 75km, the lush green of Cowies is left behind and you are guided onto the highway. The speed limit shows 100km/h. The soles of your feet laugh at you! No more views to take in. No more chanting crowds - yes, even the supporters that are left on the road are tired at this stage, having been out in the sun all day long. But on hitting the highway, you know that Durban is now very close.
45th Cutting
A double lane highway won't make your journey over this any faster. But chances are, you won't even notice this hill. You have seen so many along the way, another bump in the road is barely distinguishable from any other. And in your mind, you know you are nearly there and so you focus on one thing - the finish line.
The salty smell of the sea lures you in. There's only one more bump to overcome.
Tollgate
No tolls. No gate. And you won't miss this one. Easily distinguished by the rise of the highway in front of you as it bends slowly left. There is no shelter along this section of road - being a highway it is not lined with leafy oaks or shady palms. But you really don't care any more. You just want to get to Durbs. And you are now less than a lap of the time trial away from a medal!
Durban
The highway drops slowly into town. The smell of the taxi rank tells you you have arrived. The road drops down further into the city centre, and you feel a bit like a monkey in the zoo as you run in between cage fencing along Commercial Road (or whatever it has been renamed as). 2km to go...
The road turns left, and you can see the stadium at the end of the road. The 'last mile' is full of never tiring dancing girls, music, and cheering crowds. You know at this stage that a medal is within your grasp. You have no idea how you got here (much like a drunken night out really).
The stadium
The beat of the stadium and cheering crowds can be heard before you enter the stadium. Suddenly, you are filled with strength - Shoulders up, chest out, knees high as you come onto the grass pitch. Another 300m victory lap around the ground, with the packed stadium cheering seemingly only for you (why, is there anyone else running this race??).
On rounding the last corner and seeing the finish line in front of you, don't be shy to shed a tear.
The elephant has been eaten! And you shall suffer from overindulgence for a week to come.
Hope these notes and route description is useful to you. It might have sounded scary in places - because it probably is. Don't let these fears put you off, rather let it prepare you so that there are no surprises on the day.
Good luck with the last week and a bit of training (or rather tapering).
"You are almost there!"
"You're looking great!"
Cheers,
Andrew.
Pinetown and over Cowies
The road through Pinetown is long, straight and slightly downhill. As mentioned previously, the crowds in this area are all too supportive, bordering on irritating. All part of the day - live with it.
As you near the end of Pinetown, the road suddenly starts climbing in front of you. And then the road bends to the right - and climbs even more. This is Cowies Hill. Only 1.5km long, but fairly steep, and will bring most runners to a walk at some point.
You know you are at the top of Cowies when you reach a water point and a mobile TV broadcast village. This is probably the biggest TV spot, excluding the finish. The best way to ensure you don't make a total fool of yourself, or waste too much time for that matter, is to avoid the TV cameras, and especially avoid the TV presenter that will be trying to interview random passing runners. Chances are, you will have dried snot on the side of your nose, crusty salt on your face, and not look your prettiest. If asked an intelligent interview question, you will mumble something incomprehensible on national TV. Not good for your CV. Just run past.
Westville and the highway
At 75km, the lush green of Cowies is left behind and you are guided onto the highway. The speed limit shows 100km/h. The soles of your feet laugh at you! No more views to take in. No more chanting crowds - yes, even the supporters that are left on the road are tired at this stage, having been out in the sun all day long. But on hitting the highway, you know that Durban is now very close.
45th Cutting
A double lane highway won't make your journey over this any faster. But chances are, you won't even notice this hill. You have seen so many along the way, another bump in the road is barely distinguishable from any other. And in your mind, you know you are nearly there and so you focus on one thing - the finish line.
The salty smell of the sea lures you in. There's only one more bump to overcome.
Tollgate
No tolls. No gate. And you won't miss this one. Easily distinguished by the rise of the highway in front of you as it bends slowly left. There is no shelter along this section of road - being a highway it is not lined with leafy oaks or shady palms. But you really don't care any more. You just want to get to Durbs. And you are now less than a lap of the time trial away from a medal!
Durban
The highway drops slowly into town. The smell of the taxi rank tells you you have arrived. The road drops down further into the city centre, and you feel a bit like a monkey in the zoo as you run in between cage fencing along Commercial Road (or whatever it has been renamed as). 2km to go...
The road turns left, and you can see the stadium at the end of the road. The 'last mile' is full of never tiring dancing girls, music, and cheering crowds. You know at this stage that a medal is within your grasp. You have no idea how you got here (much like a drunken night out really).
The stadium
The beat of the stadium and cheering crowds can be heard before you enter the stadium. Suddenly, you are filled with strength - Shoulders up, chest out, knees high as you come onto the grass pitch. Another 300m victory lap around the ground, with the packed stadium cheering seemingly only for you (why, is there anyone else running this race??).
On rounding the last corner and seeing the finish line in front of you, don't be shy to shed a tear.
The elephant has been eaten! And you shall suffer from overindulgence for a week to come.
Hope these notes and route description is useful to you. It might have sounded scary in places - because it probably is. Don't let these fears put you off, rather let it prepare you so that there are no surprises on the day.
Good luck with the last week and a bit of training (or rather tapering).
"You are almost there!"
"You're looking great!"
Cheers,
Andrew.
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