Comrades 2014 Race Gear...

By Frank

With 23 days to go till the big race day, intensive training has more or less wrapped up as now is the time to rectify or minimise any small hiccups that may occur during the race itself, at least from the race gear perspective. So yeah, here's unveiling Comrades 2014 race gear.

As posted before, I opted for Saucony Kinvara 4 ViZiGLO edition for my race shoe as this was the particular model that I used most often on my training. However, there were some change of plan to this as I hope the new model I received courtesy from Saucony Malaysia will proof to be the game changer. The successor to the fourth, the 5th generation of fast, the all new Saucony Kinvara 5! (*disclaimer - The Kinvara 5 is a sample pair courtesy from Saucony Malaysia). I've been testing the shoe indoors by walking in it since early April 2014. First impression of it was the plush upper as more foams were added all around. And with the introduction of ProLock, some sort of arch locking spandex to hold the feet down, my feet felt more secured. The FlexFilm has once again been adjusted for the better and I am glad that the all good feeling around the collar was still there as my ankle felt secured together with the all new RunDry collar. As the shoe has slightly more structure to it and being a "Down" run this year, I opt for half a size larger and hopefully my new pair of Drymax socks will make the fitting as perfect as possible.

3 generations of fast.
From L to R, Comrades 2013 Kinvara 3 with Kinvara 4 ViZiGLO and Kinvara 5.

Speaking of socks, this year's Drymax will be a different model as I've chosen the Max Protection model which I bought from Keith over at The Ultra Marathon Running Store, UK. It offers thicker padding on the heel and forefoot area and hopefully it will offer lots of protection as the name suggest while I descend into the Durban. And my usual trustworthy BV Sport Booster which I'v got myself a new pair for this year to compress and protect my calves.

As for my apparels, I am sticking with SKINS Tri400 top and A400 bottom shorts which I've used last year. Sticking with it as it worked so well. However, it's not the same set from last year and in fact, this was a brand new set I bought from my own pocket money. The top this time was a size down as I've lost weight from all the training done. Yes, I shrunk! Slight adjustments to the print graphic and VIOLA!

Then a new pair of shades from Optic Nerve, the Neurotoxin 2.0 to protect my eyes.Wider vision and better ventilated than last year's Apex, the fit was a little better. And the colour, to match my shoes! Hehehe...

And finally, my usual Suunto Ambit 2 Sapphire will take on the duty to track my distance and time while last year's Suunto Ambit will perform the same duty for a very dear friend of mine.

2014's race gear, well part of it.

Hence there you have it. I am delighted and confident of this year's race gear especially the Kinvara 5. It's all about comfort and performance rather than just a candy for the eye. And I can't thank Saucony enough for the absolute support in my run. So this is it... 23 days to go!