My Profile

@Gruma

CANADA Raving since 2015 Active 3 years, 7 months ago

About Me

  • Running club(s):
  • Rave race:
  • Race that's calling my name:

    Boston – if possible!

  • I run because:

My Races

Organize, track & review your races and personal bests here.

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Half Marathon

Marathon

Ultramarathon

(Marathon or Ultra) + Half

Marathon + Ultra

Other

Future Races

Personal Bests (6)

Race Distance Location Date Result
89.9K Durban, South Africa Jun 10, 2018 10:57:28
Marathon Los Angeles, CA Mar 18, 2018 3:51:20
Half Marathon Vancouver, Canada 2013 1:37:09
15K East Melbourne, Australia Nov 20, 2016 1:20:00
10K Vancouver, Canada 2012 44:22
5K Victoria, Canada 2017 21:45

Future Races (0)

Race Distance Location Date Paid

Past Races (49)

Race Distance Location Date Result My Raves My Performance
89.9K Pietermaritzburg, South Africa Jun 9, 2019 11:41:00
Marathon Vancouver, Canada May 5, 2019 4:51:20
Marathon Langley City, Canada Apr 28, 2019 4:33:49
10K Vancouver, Canada Apr 14, 2019 46:46
Marathon Huntington Beach, CA Feb 3, 2019 3:55:00
Half Marathon Vancouver, Canada Sep 22, 2018
89.9K Durban, South Africa Jun 10, 2018 10:57:28
Half Marathon Vancouver, Canada May 6, 2018 4:25:22
10K Vancouver, Canada Apr 22, 2018 1:03:11
Marathon Los Angeles, CA Mar 18, 2018 3:51:20
Half Marathon Vancouver, Canada Feb 11, 2018 1:51:30
Marathon Victoria, Canada Oct 8, 2017 4:13:51
Marathon Carnation, WA Sep 16, 2017 4:24:44
Half Marathon Reykjavik, Iceland Aug 19, 2017 1:49:03
10K Vancouver, Canada Apr 23, 2017
5K Victoria, Canada 2017 21:45
15K East Melbourne, Australia Nov 20, 2016 1:20:00
Half Marathon Auckland, New Zealand Oct 30, 2016
Half Marathon Carnation, WA Sep 17, 2016 1:50:00
Half Marathon Vancouver, Canada Aug 13, 2016 1:55:51
6.9K Squamish, Canada 2016
11K West Vancouver, Canada 2016
Half Marathon Carnation, WA Sep 12, 2015 2:11:10
Half Marathon Vancouver, Canada Aug 15, 2015 2:00:37
Half Marathon Vancouver, Canada May 3, 2015 1:56:10
Half Marathon Victoria, Canada Oct 12, 2014 1:45:38
Half Marathon Vancouver, Canada Jun 22, 2014 1:48:12
Half Marathon San Isidro, Peru May 18, 2014 1:46:47
10K Vancouver, Canada Apr 27, 2014 47:38
Half Marathon Vancouver, Canada 2014 1:45:10
Half Marathon Vancouver, Canada 2014 1:47:39
10K Vancouver, Canada 2014 45:53
10K Vancouver, Canada Sep 14, 2013 44:37
Half Marathon San Diego, CA 2013 1:41:29
10K Calgary, Canada 2013 1:07:52
Half Marathon King George Island, Antarctica 2013
10K Vancouver, Canada 2013 52:27
Half Marathon Vancouver, Canada 2013 1:37:09
Half Marathon Beijing, China 2012
Half Marathon Cascais, Portugal 2012 1:50:46
Half Marathon San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain 2012 2:28:57
10K Vancouver, Canada 2012 44:22
Half Marathon Vancouver, Canada 2012 1:46:42
Half Marathon Vancouver, Canada 2012 1:40:32
Half Marathon Bilbao, Spain 2012 1:50:25
10K Vancouver, Canada 2011 49:06
Half Marathon Vancouver, Canada 2011 1:47:36
Half Marathon Victoria, Canada 2011 1:44:35
10K Vancouver, Canada 2010 52:36

My Raves

I ran my first Comrades up run this year. There are no flat parts to the Comrades route, no matter which direction you are running it, but the up run … MORE

I ran my first Comrades up run this year. There are no flat parts to the Comrades route, no matter which direction you are running it, but the up run is particularly brutal with an elevation gain of more than 1,800m over the 87km distance. Many Comrades fanatics will inform you that the up run is better than the down run as the majority of the uphill occurs in the first 35km, so you get the difficult part over when you still have fresh legs. These people must be part mountain goat, ignore them.

I live in Canada. While South Africans are training for Comrades through their summer, those of us living in the Northern hemisphere are training through winter. In all of my Comrades race photos, I am easily spotted as the sickly white person surrounded by dark and tanned people. It is so preferable to go from warmer to colder, than the other way around. If it wasn’t for the cooler weather we were blessed with this year (and my exceedingly slow pace) I would have joined the folks hooked up to an IV at the end.

I had a horrible run. I felt sick 26km into the race. For the next 20km, I just couldn’t eat anything. Then I had no energy. I struggled to convince myself to keep moving forward. I really wanted to quit. After all that training (1242km between Jan – May) I watched my ‘A’ goal fly out the window (under 10 hours), then my ‘B’ goal disappeared (under 11 hours), and I knew I would struggle to finish the race before the 12 hours cut off.

You are never alone during Comrades. As I fought the mental struggle to keep going in spite of dashed hopes, fatigue and feet covered in blisters, I was surrounded by thousands of others, some fighting their own battles, while others cheerfully amble ahead with everything going as planned. There are crowds of supporters lining the route in many areas and it is hard not to draw energy from these people, even with your head lost in a grey cloud of negativity.

So somehow, I kept moving along until I crossed the finish line (11 hours and 41 minutes after I started) and had a medal around my neck — from this formidable but possible race.

DIFFICULTY
5
PRODUCTION
4
SCENERY
4
SWAG
4

2 members marked this review helpful. Agree?

Loved the chance to run in this area without any cars around. The route takes you past Chinatown and through the Strathcona area. You run into the industrial part of … MORE

Loved the chance to run in this area without any cars around. The route takes you past Chinatown and through the Strathcona area. You run into the industrial part of the neighbourhood, through the old Japantown (Oppenheimer) and then into historic Gastown before turning around and heading back. The Eastside is one of Vancouver’s oldest neighbourhoods. Once the centre of the city, it has spent decades in decline. This is where you will find the homeless, the poor, the drug-addicts and the prostitutes. It is a gritty, culturally-diverse area with a lot of character.

DIFFICULTY
3
PRODUCTION
5
SCENERY
4
SWAG
5

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Tips: Bring a brightly coloured jacket (top layer). You need to be wearing colour to look good in the race day pictures against the cold white and grey background. Purchase … MORE

Tips:
Bring a brightly coloured jacket (top layer). You need to be wearing colour to look good in the race day pictures against the cold white and grey background.

Purchase reusable containers for your gels (check out: humangear – GoToobs)

DIFFICULTY
4
PRODUCTION
4
SCENERY
5
SWAG
5
My Media

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I’m not a mountain runner. This race is not what I am good at. I am better at flat. I am also not made for heat. In fact, this race … MORE

I’m not a mountain runner. This race is not what I am good at. I am better at flat. I am also not made for heat. In fact, this race combined everything I am NOT good at, but I would do it again in a heart beat.

Training Tips:
Do stairs. Then do more stairs.
Run in temperatures that make you feel like you are being melted

DIFFICULTY
5
PRODUCTION
4
SCENERY
5
SWAG
4
My Media

1 member marked this review helpful. Agree?

My Followers