By the crack of dawn a week from today thousands of poor souls will be pounding the undulating road between Pietermaritzburg and Durban in an annual ritual that is probably one of the few things that unites us, and the slouches among us will sit back, hooch in hand possibly, to enjoy the torture vicariously — Eskom permitting, of course.
The Comrades Marathon, as its organisers never tire of reminding us, is the world’s oldest and largest ultra-marathon race.
At its inception in 1921, to commemorate South African soldiers killed in World War 1, 48 runners entered, but only 34 had the courage to actually start the gruelling race. It is proof of its enduring popularity that an estimated 20,000 runners will gather in front of the Pietermaritzburg city hall at 5.30am, with a finish line about 90km away.
It is a unique event, one that, probably because of its longevity — few of us were alive when it was inaugurated — has tended to be regarded as part of the scenery, its significance and value often overlooked. It's a treasure in a country that too often seems prone to suicidal tendencies.
The Comrades is a purely sporting event, but born as it was out of one of the 20th-century’s cataclysmic wars, it has often been hostage to the vagaries of our politics.
It had to find a new date after the ANC Youth League objected to it being held on the June 16 Youth Day holiday.
It didn't occur to our radical, lower-case comrades that the event has always been held on a holiday, almost as if to doff the hat to the establishment.
The event was originally held on May 24, Empire Day, and then moved to May 31, Republic Day, when South Africa became a republic. When Republic Day was abolished with the advent of the new dispensation, the June 16 holiday seemed the obvious alternative.
But the comrades objected. I don't think they knew anything about the history or significance of the race, seeing it merely as a blemish on the memory of the June 16 victims.
But of course the lifeblood of the race is the athletes. They are the unsung heroes of this endeavour. Just taking part is an extraordinary feat.
Thousands enter such an arduous race without expecting to win a medal or a prize. Only elite runners, a tiny number, come with such an ambition. Most are simply people racing against themselves. Their prize, their sense of accomplishment, is taking part and possibly finishing the race in the allotted time.
Comrades is a good example of hard work paying off, and enjoying it while you're at it
Winning means different things to each one of them. They have their own personal milestone, and they set out to achieve it.
Actually taking part is the culmination of the most arduous task: the months — and resources — spent away from long-suffering spouses, preparing to qualify for the race.
In a country full of laggards and whingers, they're a shining example of determined effort. The race should also encourage people to get out and exercise. Obesity is becoming a serious problem, especially among young people.
A perennial assumption among couch potatoes is that these runners must be mad to put themselves through such agony. No, it's not madness. It's a fine example of what commitment and determination look like. It's a simple formula of how success is achieved in life. You set yourself a goal, and then set about achieving it.
You may not always succeed, but the consolation — a source of great joy — is that you gave it your best shot. You would have done it by yourself. No leg up, no affirmative action, no class or gender.
There's nothing you cannot achieve if you set your mind to it. The sky is always the limit. Your goal may be to go to Mecca or the holy land before you die, or go on a world tour, or embark on building a road or a community centre in your village or building your parents a more comfortable house — it doesn't matter what it may be or how huge or insignificant it may seem to the next person, it is your goal, your own yoke, and it will bear down on you until you take a stab at achieving it.
But of course most of us don't act on our dreams. We’re good at building castles in the air. It was George Bernard Shaw, the great Irish writer, who said that most men (I guess he meant people) often see things as they are, and ask why. “I dream of things that never were, and say why not?”
It is people who acted on their imaginations who are responsible for many of the eye-popping inventions and discoveries that have advanced the lot of humankind.
A spindly young fellow with an unusual name, raised by a single mother, became the first black person to command the Oval Office. I'm sure it wasn't pure happenstance. Somebody or some unique event or example must have planted the seed.
We're a society always in crisis, always casting about for solutions or trying to get out of some hole we dug ourselves into.
The Comrades is a good example of hard work paying off — and enjoying it while you're at it. We should use such gems to inspire society to success. Who knows, we may end up with leaders with the foresight to act wisely — and a much better future could be beckoning.
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