Ready, steady... go!

2007-06-12 12:49

Ian Laxton

The 2007 Comrades Marathon is less than a week away and organisers are gearing up to put the huge event onto the road this Sunday.

The so-called 'A team' are nearly finished erecting the massive finish structure which includes several tents, the scaffolding that holds up the actual finish structure, the perimeter fencing, the advertising boards, the announcer's tower and the medical facility.

Fifty teams of refreshment table personnel, involving more than 5 000 people, will be receiving their final briefings this week, while behind the scenes, the sachets containing Energade and water are being prepared.

These have to be filled at a special facility, transported to Durban in refrigerated trucks and kept cold until race day.

All in all, there will be 250 000 Energade and one million water sachets, plus 20 000 litres of bottled water, 20 tons of ice and a ton of chocolate out on the road to keep the runners hydrated and fed.

Expo

The route committee will make a final route inspection this week to ensure that there are no new potholes or other obstacles to disrupt the runners on race day.

On Wednesday, exhibitors at the Comrades Experience, South Africa's biggest sports goods expo, will start putting up their stands in expectation of a flood of more than 50 000 visitors, including the 12 000 runners, their families and friends, plus a host of running enthusiasts.

The expo will also house registration, the Comrades Media Centre, several radio stations broadcasting live, a restaurant and a stage where live presentations and shows will be given.

Behind the scenes, the information technology infrastructure is also being put together.

The fully-computerised system will first be at registration until the close of the expo on Saturday night, then moved lock, stock and barrel overnight to the finish at Kingsmead, where it will process the runners as they cross the various mats along the route and when they arrive at the finish.

This system will interface with the live runner-tracking system and feed the media and TV with up-to-date race information as it unfolds.

Medical supplier

The medical infrastructure, the biggest in any SA sports event, will also roll out on Sunday.

Netcare, the medical supplier to the CMA, will have a total complement of several hundred trained staff, including doctors, paramedics and physiotherapists, along the route and at the finish, with medical and physio stations strategically placed to cater for any emergency.

Medical personnel will travel in ambulances, rapid response vehicles, motorcycles and even in a helicopter, which is on standby.

For runners planning their final week, coaches recommend that they cut right back on their training, eat nothing out of the ordinary, apart from possibly adding some high carbohydrate foods such as honey and raisins to their diet during the final three days, and stay away from people with colds and flu.

Any runner displaying flu-like symptoms, such as a raised temperature and joint aches, should definitely consult their doctor before running.

Ian Laxton is the Comrades Marathon media liaison officer and race commentator.

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