'I'm confident' - Broodryk ready for Up Run debut

With less than a week left to go before the 97th of the Comrades Marathon, South African Ultra-marathon star Adele Broodryk will line up for her first Comrades Up Run. This year's race which is scheduled on the 9th of June, is the first up run since 2019 from Durban to Pietermaritzburg and despite having a proven track record at the world oldest and biggest ultra, the 33-year-old runner believes this year's race will be a different ball game. 

Broodryk powering up the last hill with a smile to win the 2023 Om Die Dam 50km Marathon by 10 minutes. Photo Credit: Lifutso Mabua.

"I'm quite confident that I'm ready for the race. For the past few weeks, we've had to make some adjustments to the training program in order to be ready. I think with my coach, we have covered all the bases to prepare the big day. The good thing is that I'm feeling good and can't wait to be on the start line. My approach will to focus on my race plan without having to complicate anything," explains, the mother of two who also a lecturer at University of North West.

"Since it will be my first Up Run, I had to obtain some necessary information on how I shall approach it. Comrades legend Bruce Fordyce always emphasizes that if you feeling good at the top of Fields Hill then everything is going according to the plan. So I'm going to listen to my body and see how it responds. I know I'm a strong athlete so I think I will manage fine with the amount of training I have done," said the woman who is coached by Lindsey Parry.

So what about her target? The mother of two is playing her cards close to her chest and insists that because she is an Up run novice, she can't be counted amongst the pre-race favourites despite after having placed third on her debut in 2022 and second last year. The Nedbank Running Club top runner who has been training in Dullstroom at high altitude says she is not one of the women that is expected to reign supreme.

Broodryk celebrates victory at 2:46:46 win at the Balwin Sport Peninsula Marathon in February 2024. Photo Credit: Action Photo.

"No, I don't believe I'm the favourite to win the race," she told #TheTopRunner. "Things will be quite different as I'm going to run my first up run this year. In the past, I have done well but I never tasted the Up Run so I have to consider that it will be kinda new to me. So I'm not going to aim too high as the field will be much stronger this year. If I can manage to finish inside the top 10, I'll be quite happy with that achievement," she said.