By Lebogang Mashala and Charl van Rooyen
Jack, originally from Ga-Molepo, outside Polokwane in Limpopo, spent just over a year preparing for the 88km race between Durban and Pietermaritzburg.
Although running the Comrades wasn’t originally his plan, after a few months of running short distances and joining the Stellenbosch Athletic Club, he felt motivated to participate.
Jack explained that when he moved with his family from Limpopo to Stellenbosch three years ago, he started running to help with work stress and homesickness.
“I found myself getting healthier and full of energy, which had a positive impact on my work,” said Jack, who paid tribute to his fellow club members.
“These are the guys who encouraged me to participate in the 56 km Two Oceans Ultra Marathon last year. This experience gave me the confidence to take on the Comrades Marathon challenge.”
In preparation for the Comrades on 9 June, Jack covered about 1 200 km in the past six months. He has run 13 marathons in a year, averaging at least one a month. “One must cover a minimum of 1 000km to fully prepare for the race. I attended numerous practice sessions and seminars to get ready for this. I also had a coach,” he said.
Jack said running the Comrades taught him a lot about running his own race at his own pace. “Going into the marathon, I knew I wasn’t competing with anyone but myself. I told myself that the most important thing was to finish.”
According to Jack, he needed a few days to recover. “I’m currently on leave and will be back at work this coming Monday. I also plan to take my annual leave next week to visit my parents and let the children spend some time with their grandparents since the schools are closing.”
Before joining the Western Cape Department of Agriculture as the Elsenburg manager, Jack farmed Meatmaster sheep in Limpopo. He started farming after a five-year stint working on massive farming operations in Australia and the US, as well as being a LIMA Rural Development Foundation facilitator supporting smallholder farmers in villages in the Tom Burke area.
Elsenburg conducts research into many aspects of farming, including animal breeding, crop and pasture management and dairy. “I have over 35 staff members on the farm. We have Merinos, Dhone Merinos, Bonsmara and dairy cattle, along with many other farming activities which the department uses for research and development, mainly for the benefit of smallholder farmers,” said Jack.
Read more about Jack on page 18 of our March 2021 issue.
Within 48 hours: harvesting, Comrades, and back to farming on Monday
Ghini Greyling (30) from Wakkerstroom farmed until late on Saturday morning then drove to Durban, completed the Comrades Marathon in under 11 hours on Sunday and was back at work early on Monday morning – all within 48 hours
His father, BP, greeted him with a broad smile and said, “You’re a tough one, my son. I am proud of you.”
Ghini belongs to the Assegaai Club in Piet Retief “because you must be part of a club to participate in the Comrades”. He didn’t train as much as many other athletes, running on Sundays before church and sometimes during the week.
He ran a marathon in Standerton to qualify for the Comrades and finished in 4 hours 16 minutes.
On Saturday, they were still harvesting grain, and he and his “support team” (his wife, Milou, and his sister, Rita) could hit the road to Durban only at 11am.
It was Ghini’s first Comrades. He and two friends, Anton Roets from Wakkerstroom and Mieliepap Novias from Pongola, ran together.
Footsore
The three friends started with the multitude of runners in Durban at 5.30 am on Sunday. Halfway through the 85.91 km race, Ghini’s feet started to give in but he pushed through and finished in 10 hours 45 minutes 27 seconds – averaging 7 minutes 31 seconds per kilometre.
According to him, it was a great relief and by then he was “sick of running”.
The trio left Pietermaritzburg at 4 am on Monday and Ghini arrived at the farm Langfontein around 9am to start farming.
After a while, his father called him over and poured rum and Coke for everyone, including BP’s wife, Monique, to celebrate the great achievement. Then they continued farming.
Will he participate again next year? “Ask me in two weeks when I’ve recovered,” he said with a laugh.
