Most of us have heroes in any sport we enjoy.  Whether it’s a sport we do ourselves, or just a spectator sport.  Whenever I watch some sporting activity on TV, almost automatically I root for one of the teams or competitors, if it’s an individual sport, over the rest.  The reason for selecting a particular person is not always the same.  Perhaps it’s the person’s proficiency at his/her event, a previous sporting achievement, dominance of an event, attitude towards success, or maybe just because he or she is the underdog or the new kid on the block.

The year was 1997, and it was the “Down Run”.  Only two runners were left in a field of over 14000 runners with less than ten kilometres to run. Taking turns to surge in a desperate bid for victory they emulated two boxers who were exchanging blows with only will power keeping them on their feet.  In the end there could be only one, and Nick Bester was the first to succumb to fatigue and could only watch as Charl Mattheus slowly but surely pulled away for his first official victory of the world’s greatest ultra marathon, in a time of 5h28min.

With Comrades 2010 just around the corner, the excitement is building! Along with it comes a fair amount of uncertainty and concern.  To help you settle the nerves, its time for some final planning!