Yep… This year I finally decided to run the Big C. It has taken a while for the reality to sink in, but here we are after 6 months of preparation, and all the emotions of it all.
In the beginning, there was…
I started January with an intense running streak. My ultimate goal? To get back to peak fitness.
Back in 2019, I was at my fastest and most consistent. I ran my first marathon and showed all the positive signs of being strong enough, both physically and mentally, to take on the Comrades Marathon. Then, lo and behold, March 2020 arrived. A worldwide lockdown was announced, and suddenly, even stepping outside to run was illegal. We spent a year waiting to run freely again, and with that, my hard-earned fitness vanished into thin air. January 2026 was a reset for me, and I can attest that muscle memory is a real thing.
February: A month of love…
February is a month of love, and if you know me, you know just how much I love Valentine’s month. I love being wined and dined on Valentine’s Day, but I had a 21km on the 15th February 2026. I spent 14 February sulking about being home and having to sleep early, but big goals require sacrifices, and my first sacrifice was skipping Valentine’s Day celebrations to gear up for a race on the 15th.
The Pirates Half Marathon truly tested my endurance on some of the steepest hills in Joburg. I later realized just how crucial that brutal course was, because the 2026 Comrades Marathon is an uprun.
Keep on Marching…
Right around March, the first intake for Comrades 2026 opened up. I clicked the link, and to my surprise, spots were still available. I filled in all my details, but the moment I hovered over the payment button, a sudden rush of pure fear hit me. I froze and decided to leave it for later.
The following day, entries were full. I tried to comfort myself with an easy excuse: “Maybe it just wasn’t meant to be.”
But that didn’t sit right with me because when was the last time I did something genuinely hard? Something that challenged my entire being? For a while, I had just been letting life happen to me, and it was eating away at my spirit. Right then, I made a promise to myself: I would try again during the substitution window. The training continued and my dad was impressed with how I managed to run 5km under 30 minutes, and 10km under an hour. The peak fitness was back.
April Fools…
As soon as substitutions opened, I jumped on it. However, the Comrades committee threw a curveball this year, they ditched the first-come, first-served method and introduced a ballot system instead. It was a total lucky draw. I threw my name into the hat and tried to forget about it.
Then came the day I opened my inbox and saw it: a Congratulations email from the Comrades Marathon Association.
I was given just a few days to accept or reject the spot. While my brain was busy freaking out, my bank account was processing. R1200 later, it was official-official. This was no April Fools’ joke. My emotions instantly skyrocketed from anxious to completely stressed, because I still hadn’t run a single qualifying race. The absolute last qualifier in Joburg was happening in May. I had exactly one shot at this. My social running club helped me get ready, most were preparing for 21km while I was preparing for 42km. While we were doing our final 21km run, two gentlemen were having a conversation about the importance of pace. I had gotten used to the fast pace and marathons require a different strategy. I incorporated their conversation into my training.
May I…
The day of reckoning arrived: May 1st, 2026 – the Wally Hayward Marathon in Centurion.
Let me tell you… When the day arrived, I was excited and exhausted from training, but I had to mentally fix myself to attain the qualifier. I had to run 42km in less than 5 hours. After about 6km, I noticed my times were too fast and unsustainable for the long road ahead. I joined a bus that paced me to ensure I arrived at 42km in one piece. Remember, this was the last qualifier in Joburg. The most important thing about long-distance running is the self-talk cause you start to notice muscles you didn’t know existed. You also suddenly remember a conversation you still need to have, and other random things. Another reason positive self talk was important was because this race was a loop. You ran the same road twice, my strategy to run the loop was genius. You have to pay me to share the strategy, lol.
Around 38km, we started to relax, incorporated more walks, and I couldn’t be more grateful cause the emotions kicked in. We are really running the Comrades Marathon. The guys I was running with called me first lady because I was the only lady left who ran with the bus from start to end, some even complimented my posture and focus. That boosted my confidence.
We finished in 4 hours and 52 minutes. The first person I called was my dad, who was also running 42km’s at another race. He got his qualifier, so this was just a fun run for him. My dad laughed in disbelief cause he thought I was joking, lol. I sent my results to the LOML, he was beaming with pride.
May I tell you…
Straight after that, I had to squeeze in a 60km “dry run”, this is when you test run your gear, your supplements, and for me, it was also testing my body. My 60km was scheduled for the following weekend after the qualifier, and my body said NO! I got a cold. My darling, the drama. I tried everything to postpone the cold, but it had me in bed the whole weekend. This meant no training until the cold had filtered out of the body. The day of the 60km, two weeks after the qualifier, came with very little training for it, and lots of faith that the muscle memory will pull through for me again.
On the morning of the 60km run I spotted a group of men running. I tagged along, they noticed I was eavesdropping in their conversation. I met a man named Thulani, who helped to pace me. Most of all, he helped me to complete the 60km when I suggested we call it a day at 50km. At 50km he simply said “Kgadi, I can’t just leave you. We’re gonna finish what we started”. And we did. Out of the 150 we started with, we were the only two to complete 60km. I was so grateful. As if the 60km wasn’t enough, period pains activated on the night after running 60km. My darling… A movie, right? The physical pain from the run, and the period pain… But we did it!
Here we are now, less than 2 weeks before the race. I’ve felt it all: the excitement, the anxiety, the joy, the panic, the dislike for running, the love for running… The other night I redownloaded the Comrades Marathon app and searched for my name, and there it was. Writing this has given me such an appreciation for this journey, it has been interesting (to say the least), and the only thing left is to enjoy the next few days and run my first Comrades Marathon.
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