Veteran lines up for his 46th run
DAVE Rogers was 18 when he ran his first Comrades Marathon. Since then, he has run it 45 times — more than any other runner.
Rogers, who made his debut in 1961 — has won three gold medals, which are awarded to the first 10 finishers.
His best race — and his first gold medal, was in 1976 when, at the age of 33, he ended third behind Alan Robb.
Robb went on to win it in the next two years and again in 1980, a year before Bruce Fordyce’s domination began.
Rogers, now 71, is a grandfather who lives in Hillcrest, Durban.
He recalls being persuaded by his brother, Ken, to achieve “something beyond the imagination of the average person”.
“I said to my brother we are fit and young. Let us do a bit of extra training and try the Comrades,” said Rogers, who took more than 10 hours to complete his first race. That year, it was won by George Claassen, father of former Springbok rugby captain Wynand.
For the first 30 or so years, Rogers completed all the Comrades marathons he entered, but from 2000 he slowed down after suffering injuries.
“In 2002, I missed the cutoff by 14 seconds. After running for more than 36 years, it was a bit of a disappointment.
“After a hip surgery, I got back into the race after missing a year. But with age, there’s no guarantee you will finish every race. The challenge gets greater as you get older.
“In the past 10 years, I missed two more, one by a minute as I got into Kingsmead Stadium and heard the gun. And two years ago when I reached Pinetown, I knew I was not going to make it to the finish and gave up.
He said the challenges many runners faced were psychological. “Time is the big thing because it’s difficult to train for 11 or 12 hours. It’s a matter of training your mind to carry on.
“Also, nausea is something many suffer along the way.
“The most exciting is the start, where there is a general hype and excitement with the crowd singing and screaming . . . and the camaraderie from fellow runners and spectators who help take you through.”