Comrades fever fits into Legends experience fully

EXCITEMENT for the running of the Legends 68km component of the Legends running festival of events on 24 September experienced two major boosts this week.

First, the Comrades Marathon media launch unveiled many new elements to Comrades and with that, great excitement and a rush to enter the 2018 race.

Entries opened on Friday and will remain so until November 30 or when the 20 000 cap on entries is reached.

An early bird fee for all runners from African countries is applicable for the month of September only and Legends falls perfectly within that period.

Legends has an all new route, a down run as indeed Comrades will be in 2018, and a new finish to the backdrop of the Indian Ocean at the Orient Beach and the mouth of the Buffalo River, home to East London's historical harbour.

Comrades also has a new finish and therefore a new aspect to the route as runners near the climax of their race.

The Kingsmead Cricket Stadium has become quite congested and thus the move to the spacious Moses Mabida Stadium, built for the 2010 Soccer World Cup, will be welcomed by the majority of folk involved.

Social media is a frenzy of excitement and it is known that at least three recent Comrades Marathon winners will be running the interesting Legends 68 kilometre route towards the end of this month.

The other major boost for Legends is that we are now officially in spring and, with all the positive connotations which that offers, it augers well for an interest spike to the local race.

Far more running decisions are formulated during the spring period than any other time of year and, with the current boom the sport is enjoying, there is no reason to expect Legends will do anything but benefit from these positives.

Those who will be racing Legends will likely take a break from training through October and then get back on the programme in November. It is now that coaching becomes so critical. So that nobody is in any doubt as to what is required from the Legends 68km in respect as a realistic Comrades seeding, the times appear below. Comrades Qualifying Times at Legends 68km: A Seeding - 5:29:59 B Seeding - 5:59:59 C Seeding - 6:34:59 D Seeding - 7:14:59 E Seeding - Comrades Green Number Club F Seeding - 7:54:59 G Seeding - 8:29:59 H seeding - 8:59:59