Cathy Hopkins + Comrades Marathon: Strength in Community

Cathy Hopkins began running alone, in the dark. She wanted to improve her health, but avoid getting harassed. Through discovering her local running community in St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada, Cathy became an avid runner and has gone on to run South Africa's 90-km Comrades 9 times. This is her story of finding a greater joy in running through shared experiences and communal support.

Canadian Cathy shares her journey of finding her joy in running by sharing it with others. While running can often appear to be completely solitary , the community that forms around the sport can transcend cultures and countries, age, ability, and social standing. No where is that more evident than at the Comrades Marathon, as Cathy’s experiences attest to. In addition to the many events Cathy has run in North America, she's finished Comrades 9 times! Learn why her next time there will mark an especially important milestone.

Also in this episode, learn about the various colors of bib numbers and what they mean; bib numbers and colors are tied to the many ways the race honors returning runners. Also learn about how runners can leave their own mark on the wall of honor. These are some of the many unique traditions of Comrades, which we discuss in this podcast.

This episode is part of our first season, and the theme of this season is experiences in and around the Comrades Marathon, which is a 90-kilometer, or roughly 56-mile, road race that takes place each year in South Africa. It is the oldest and largest ultra-distance foot race in the world.

Recommended Resource

Every episode we highlight one entry from our long list of recommended resources focused on women and running. This episode’s highlighted resource is the Running on Om podcast, hosted by Julia Hanlon. The podcast features conversations Julia has with women who have committed their lives to endurance sports and the outdoors. There’s also the Soul Sisters series, where Julia and her best friend, professional distance runner Abbey Cooper, discuss their own experiences and answer listener questions. All of the Running on Om episodes feature deep, real, inspirational, and empowering conversations that don’t shy away from life’s difficulties. I always discover great takeaways. An episode that stands out for me is Julia’s interview with Molly Seidel, which was done in January, before the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials.

On this episode, we mention the Comrades Ambassador program. These are representatives outside of South Africa who help other runners in their country navigate all aspects of qualifying for and getting to the Comrades Marathon. You can find a full list of ambassadors with their contact information here.

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