Percy.

The day before Comrades was a superb introduction to the day itself.  Thanks to my Greenville friends Mike (8 Comrades) and Ashley (2 Comrades) for the invitation to lunch at the Durban Country Club. They introduced me to their South African friends, several Comrades Veterans.  They were all gracious, funny, and full of helpful tips. 

Our host, Rod Pearson (Percy) has run 20 Comrades and was one of the most charming gents I have met.  Mike met him during his first Comrades run.  A few years back, Percy ran a sub 7:30 Comrades for a silver medal- UNBELIEVABLE.  The next year, he wanted to try something different and decided to be the last man to finish on the clock.  The only stipulation was that he had to be in the top 10 for the first 30K.  At 30K he was number 8! What to do but veer off for a mushroom omelet at a cafe off course? After that, he was full but back on course.  He kept on running and then broke off for a pint or two at a pub in Drummond.  Then back on course running and running, and then off for more beers and meeting friends at a pub in Camperdown.  As he exited the race course for Beer Stop # 2 he explained to the course monitor that he was running the race, going to meet a friend at a pub and would be returning and to please remember him.  The monitor replied “I have heard people talking all day and that is the first thing anyone said that made any damn sense!”

So Percy drank, got lost, and returned to the race course.  He made it to the stadium with the clock ticking in the last seconds of the cutoff. He missed being last (and counted) by 7 seconds.  “My mistake was that I wore an analog watch!”


After the encouraging lunch we returned to our hotel rooms for pre race eve prep.  This involved assembling my race stuff - big black sunglasses, gu, cliff shot blocks, charged garmin, pinning my race number on front and back, arranging my socks and shoes, my Angel coin (on loan from Marett) in race pants pocket and lacing my chip onto my shoes.  I waited with my feet propped and the window open to the Indian Ocean. I slept well.

I was giddy but not nervous. Not because I felt invincible, just ready and lucky.  I knew something unexpected would happen and had no idea what. But, whatever came, it was happening to me at Comrades. In South Africa. And I was relishing it.