What happens to your body during the Comrades

 This is what your body goes through when running the Comrades Marathon's 89km.

Dizziness

Fourteen percent of runners will suffer from dizziness at some point in the race.

Speed

The average speed of the leading male is 15.3km/h which equates to 255m a minute.

Chaff

There’s only one thing worse than chafing thighs, and that’s blistered, raw nipples. Avoid it by using plasters on your nips and Vaseline on any high-chafe areas (like your inner thighs and where your arms rub against the sides of your body). Use the same energy products, shoes and clothes that you have trained with on race day. That means at 60km for experienced runners and 55km for novices.

Stride

It will take you roughly 111 250 strides to complete the Comrades.

Cramps

Forty-three percent of runners will suffer from cramp during the run. To help combat this, invest in Slow-Mag tablets, and start taking them a few months before the race.

Joints

There is a widespread belief that running Comrades will destroy your joints and leave you riddled with arthritis. The truth is that if you follow a proper training plan, allow for adequate recovery and eat a balanced diet, long distance running can actually prolong the onset of arthritis by up to 12 years, according to researchers at Stanford University.

Age

The average age of Comrades runners is 42 for men and 40 for ladies.

Blisters

As your stride becomes less efficient, blisters are almost inevitable. To avoid them, wear moisture- wicking socks, rub petroleum jelly on your feet and in-between your toes and wear decent running shoes that have at least 100km mileage.

Achilles tendon

Your body’s strongest tendon will raise roughly 55 000 times (on each leg), propelling forward approximately 8 000 tons overall (for an 80kg man).

Shoes

When should you get new shoes for the race? This differs between men and women and with different weights, but a good rule is 800 to 1 000km or six weeks before Comrades.

Carbs

After you hit the 30km mark, you’re body will start eating away at your protein stores after cleaning out your carb supplies. To avoid this, take in a good balance of both carbs and proteins every hour of your race.

Leg stress

For every kilometre you run, a complex system of 66 joints, 52 bones and more than a 100 ligaments, muscles and tendons hit the ground an average of 1 000 times.

Sweat

You will sweat out roughly 4.5 litres of liquid. There were 1 500 000 water sachets given out in the 2010 Comrades, make sure you hydrate throughout the race. Be careful not to over-hydrate though, especially if it’s a hot day. Your kidneys will be working overtime. The answer? Aim to visit the bushes within the first 10km of the race, as you’ll get rid of some of the pressure. And it may help you to relax a little.

Weight

A runner will lose between three and five kilograms during the race.

Mental

Fifty percent of the field finishes in the last hour. If you start too quickly, or don’t plan your pace properly, you’ll join the 15 to 20 percent who don’t make it.

Heat

The average man’s temperature will rise to 40 degrees celsius within the first two to three hours of the race. To avoid heat- stroke on a hot race day, throw some water onto your head at the water tables.