First held in 1921, the Comrades Marathon, coined The Ultimate Human Race, is the world’s largest and oldest ultramarathon road race, run annually in South Africa between the cities of Durban and Pietermaritzburg. The direction of the race alternates each year between the “up” run (87 km) starting from Durban and the “down” run (now 90.184 km) starting from Pietermaritzburg. On 28 August 2022, Tshireletso did the “up” run in an incredible 9-hours and on 11 June 2023 she completed the “down” run in an even faster time! In between these two races, she ran an incredibly challenging 81km ultra-trail in Italy, La Corsa Della Bora, on 8 January 2023, in 13.5 hours. For this blog, I asked her to compare the two races. Aside from being struck by the similarities and differences of the races, I’m impressed by her ability to adapt beautifully to different terrains, climate and race conditions which is not easy.

Similarities Between Comrades and La Corsa Della Bora

The Sacrifice. Whether it’s road or trail, it makes me happy, and I feel so privileged to have completed both races. Running 81km or 90km is always going to be daunting. Ultra races, regardless of the terrain, come with a high cost to pay. Just like Comrades, training for La Corsa Della Bora came with so many sacrifices and challenges along the way that didn’t only affect me but my family and work too. I became a stranger in my own home. I was always at the gym training, on the streets running or in my bedroom resting. I invested long hours of rigid training and rest to enable smooth recovery and good performance. I tried to avoid injuries by all means. To stay focused on my training, I suspended my social life. I was careful with my diet so as to remain healthy and strong. It took a lot to adjust to the demands of both goals.

The Strong Mindset. Spending long hours running is more of a mental than physical challenge for me. It brings several moments of highs and lows. I have shed tears on trails, I have shed tears on road, but for both goals, I never entertained quitting. I was so determined during training and in the actual races. I also recognised there is a bravery in standing before the start line and then going on to tackle each challenge during the race, be it road or trail. And to cross the finish line for both, you need to develop a strong positive mindset for training and the race itself.

The Sense of Achievement. When I received my medal in Italy, I remembered the day I received my first Comrade’s medal. How special my heart held it. If it were not for the mud on my face, I’d like to believe my face at La Corsa Della Bora held a similar expression to that from Comrades!

Differences Between Comrades and La Corsa Della Bora

The Terrain and Climate. Comrades took place between Pietermaritzburg and Durban, South African cities, during summer, on tarmac road. La Corsa Della Bora took place in a city called Trieste and its outskirts in Italy, during winter, on dirt trails. It’s easy to assume that running is running. BUT… once the terrain changes, the game changes too. Even though theoretically shorter, La Corsa Della Bora was not a game to play in 9 hours like I did with Comrades! La Corsa Della Bora felt a lot like an obstacle course. It demanded more! I had to traverse various surfaces that included exposed roots, stones/rocks, mud and woods, swearing most of the time! The terrain was a rough, cruel and heartless beast, oftentimes not runnable. I had to cross inclines covered with scree and a river with water, hike mountains, traverse technical landscapes, climb over rocks, all with enormous fear and great negotiation! The constantly changing terrain required a lot of concentration. Comrades on the other hand was mostly flat, steady and with static landscape, which made me run light-hearted with a broad smile, landing my feet confidently on the predictable tarmac, and at a constant pace.

The Requirements. Even though Comrades was longer, I carried almost nothing during the race. With over 20 food/aid stations, food and all necessities were sufficient along the way. My gear was very light just as the climate required. A beautiful sunny day with blue skies that did well with shorts, tank, cap and shoes! But La Corsa Della Bora was the opposite. Given that there were only four aid stations, the difficult terrain and cold climate, I had to bring enough food and water to last me for at least 20km distances as well as other equipment (hiking sticks, headlights, spare batteries, emergency blanket, power bank, first aid kit, collapsible cup, rubbish bag, etc.) I wore layered durable gear (padded and Gore-Tex) to accommodate the weather and harshness of the terrain. I also needed shoes that would shield my feet from the abuse of uneven, bumpy, aggressive trails whilst helping to avoid slipping and feet damage.

The Crowds. Comrades being the world’s largest and oldest ultra-marathon, is well-known with great global hype. With over 13, 000 runners in 2022, I was always next to, behind or in front of another runner. I even ran at the same pace with multiple runners, chatting and laughing! It felt like a collective game. Even though I’m a self-determined runner, seeing multitudes of spectators during Comrades, especially kids, filled my heart and gave me strength. Almost the entire journey had spectators – all ages, male and female cheering, encouraging and even entertaining. On the other hand, at La Corsa Della Bora, at the start (maybe because of the dark and cold), there wasn’t a single spectator. We were nearly 2, 000 runners, but some ran so fast, quickly passing me. I met an older man Henry who I ran with for nearly 10km before moving ahead. The road had many turns so runners disappeared from sight very fast and blended with the forest. After about 20km no runners passed me. I ran past two, half a kilometre apart at 42km. Just before the 60km cut-off point I saw other runners, a couple from America that I asked for some water from, before pushing ahead. Along the way, I saw less than 20 spectators and they mostly had food, clothes and stuff for the runners. It’s at the cut-off point where I would see eight or so runners. The first cut-off point (10km) had the largest number of runners and the finish line had fifty people at most, half being runners.

In her final words, Tshire notes that “Even with these differences, the variation of each race in terms of climate, difficulty, terrain, made each experience unique, yet fulfilling. I found I developed different characteristics and tapped on different strengths for each race, which made it possible for me to adapt to the different demands they both required”. As she says, “once the terrain changes, the game changes too”. This just goes to show that trail running is a different beast from road running. I recently did a trail Half Marathon in South Africa, which was another reminder of how different trail is from road. What I thought I would do in around 2h30 took me 3h20 instead! What I love about what Tshire shares here is that it is possible to adapt to these unique challenges and enjoy both in different ways.

What do you prefer – road or trail? What differences have you found between the two? Have you run an ultra-trail? Have you run Comrades?

I’m joining Kooky Runner and Zenaida on their link up, Tuesday Topics. Be sure to check out their blogs.

Previous Guest Blogs/Interviews with Tshire:

• Running Comrades in 2022 – Part 1
• Running Comrades in 2022 – Part 2
• La Corsa Della Bora in 2023 – Part 1
• La Corsa Della Bora in 2023 – Part 2