The Website of Miah and Michelle Collins

Comrades is a nationally celebrated ultra-marathon run here in South Africa. It is 56 miles of intense hills running from Pietermaritzburg to Durban. Comrades is the largest and longest running ultra-marathon in the world and many top international athletes come to compete in this famous race. Runners have a total of 12 hours to complete the race. In Durban it is almost like a public holiday, and families will spend the entire day out supporting people along the route. Miah attempted his first Comrades this year and finished in 9h 27 min. I wanted him to share this experience with you, so I asked him some questions after he finished:

1.) Why did you run? Was there a central message that you want to convey through running Comrades?

There wasn’t really a central reason. Obviously I grew up watching the race and I got into running last year with the goal to run Comrades, but I have ended up getting really into the running culture. I find it exciting to push your body to extremes that it wasn’t really made for. It proves that as humans we are capable of achieving more than we give ourselves credit for. I love the self-discipline it took to prepare for the race. For me it has parallels to the spiritual journey. It takes discipline to pray: to confess that the spiritual is just as important as the work and activities we do. It takes discipline to observe a Sabbath: confessing that what we achieve is not more important that who we are.

2.) Was there a point in the race when you thought you wouldn’t make it?

No. There was a point where I felt like just taking it easy the rest of the way and finishing with a slower time. Fortunately, I had my colleague, Bhuti, with me. He kept me moving. 

3.) What was the most excruciating section?

The hills just after half way were really tough and took a lot of energy out of me. Also, running through Pinetown and Westville with about 15-20 kilometers left to go was a tough section.

4.) What was the most encouraging thing someone said to you while you were running?

Everybody was really encouraging the whole way. People would even read my name on my race number and encourage me to keep going. I knew that if someone shouted “Miah” they knew me, and if they shouted “Jeremiah” they were just reading my name. It was encouraging to see friends and family on the route and some of the guys from the running club who came down to second us.

5.) What did you think about in the hard parts?

I was thinking about all the unhealthy food I was going to eat when I finished: like pizza and ribs.

6.) Did running with a partner make it easier? Why/ why not?

Ah yes, it was great running with Bhuti the whole way. I had to hold him back at the beginning, then he struggled a bit in the middle with cramps and then I probably held him back towards the end. But it was very helpful!

7.) What was the most emotional point of the race for you?

It was coming through Cowies Hill into Westville, seeing my wife and realizing that I was getting close to the finish. Also, watching people come in at the finish is amazing. You realize that this race is as important to the guys coming in at 12 hours as it is to the winners. That’s something unique about this race. They also say that it’s the only race in the world where the last place runner gets just as big of a cheer as the first runner.

8.) How did it feel to enter into Kingsmead Stadium? What thoughts were going through your head?

I was too tired at that point to be emotional or to soak it all in. But Kingsmead was great and the vibe inside the stadium was awesome.

9.) What was the coolest conversation you had on the run?

I chatted quite a bit to Team World Vision, a lot of them from Chicago. I talked to a guy from Grand Rapids, Michigan! And I met the only Mexican Comrades runner! It’s always great to let someone next to you know how much pain you’re in. And with 18 000 runners on the road, you’re never on your own.

10.) What did you learn from this experience?

Hmmm, I think I understand now why people run this race year after year. I learned that I like to challenge myself. I learned that playing sports and setting athletic goals doesn’t have to be just for high schoolers and professional athletes.

11.) What advice would you give to someone who wants to run Comrades?

The South African running culture is quite unique. This is the only place in the world where marathons are just used as qualifiers and training runs for the real races. The biggest 2 races in SA are Two Oceans (34 miles) and Comrades (56 miles). Every local runner in Comrades must run on behalf of a running club and the club culture is very strong.

It was great watching the last few thousand runners coming in and seeing the emotion on their faces. A few runners actually stopped before the finish, took photos, cried, kissed the grass. There are thousands of people running for all kinds of different reasons. Our club captain, for example, starting running at 30 years old after his lung collapsed and he realized that his smoking was destroying his body. He said it took him weeks just to be able to run to the corner store and back. On Sunday he finished his 14th Comrades. It’s these kind of stories that makes the run special.

I would recommend Comrades to anyone who has functioning knees!