Rory Petzer: "I'm hopelessly addicted to Comrades Marathon"
Rory Petzer completed his sixth Comrades Marathon on Sunday. We got the opportunity to chat with him before and after the race.
The Comrades Marathon, also known as the "Ultimate Human Race", doesn't just challenge runners on a physical level but on an equally mental level.
While each runner has their own experience with the Comrades, we wanted to highlight our headlining Comrades star on the Carol Ofori show, executive producer, Rory Petzer.
So, after completing it yesterday in 11 hours and 36 minutes, we can say without a doubt that even with immense and dedicated training, this race tests you on levels you didn't know existed. We sat down with Rory Petzer before the Comrades and asked him some questions.
Read more: ROAD CLOSURES: Sunday’s Comrades Marathon
Q: How many times have you tackled, Comrades, and why do you keep returning?
Rory: "I've run five and finished three, so this will be my sixth! I'm hopelessly addicted to the Comrades Marathon and love everything about it. I love the months and months of training before the race, I love meeting new people on the road and making new friends through running, and I especially love what it does for my mental and physical health."
Q: What have you learnt over the years when training for the Comrades?
Rory: "I've learned not to panic and to be kinder to myself when training. It's not the end of the world if you get sick and miss a week or two of training. I've learned never to return to training until I am 100% better."
Q: How does this Comrades differ from previous years?
Rory: "I think the lead up to this one was very different in that I ran a comfortable 56km Two Oceans and another good 56km when we did the route tester. I also ran more marathons this year than any other year before Comrades. So, my legs and my head know how to do the long distance."
Q: What's your goal this year? Finishing within a specific bracket?
Rory: "My goal this year is exactly 11:33:42! I always aim to finish within the 12 hours."
Q: What are your plans for next year?
Rory: "To run more marathons around the country leading up to the Comrades Marathon."
Q: What's your strategy in the race? Focus on you or enjoy it with the rest of the runners and spectators?
Rory: "My race day strategy is literally to have as much fun as possible. I don't see the Comrades Marathon as a race at all. I see it as a fantastic day with 21,999 other champions, and I also happen to cover 89.98km!"
Q: How does the training affect your day-to-day life? Personal life, do you spend more time training, your diet, your overall lifestyle and mental health?
Rory: "Honestly, my training weaves so perfectly into my day-to-day life that it's not even a thing. And as for my mental health, it's one of the biggest reasons why I run!"
Rory finished the race, got his medal, and even looked as fresh as he did when he started.
CHAMPIONS! WE DID IT! That was the deepest I have ever dug in my whole life! At 50km in, I was convinced I wouldn’t make it. Thank you to everyone for all the support on the road. You CHAMPIONS got me out of dark places many times! Thank you to everyone who gave me all sorts of things on the road, too! Those two Lucozades saved my life.
HOW TO LISTEN TO EAST COAST RADIO
- Listen to East Coast Radio on the FM (frequency modulation) spectrum between 94 and 95 FM on your radio.
- Listen live to ECR by clicking here or download the ECR App (iOS/Android).
- Listen to East Coast Radio on the DStv audio bouquet, channel 836.
- Switch to the audio bouquet on your Openview decoder and browse to channel 606
- Listen to us on Amazon Alexa.
Follow us on social media:
Image Supplied