One last Comrades for Colinda

Veteran runner and long-serving member of Pietersburg Road Runners Colinda Potgieter will run her last and 20th Comrades Marathon in August in Durban.

The 90km annual ultra marathon will start in Pietermaritzburg and end in Durban on August 28. More than 20 000 runners from all around the world are expected at the event.

The 52-year-old runner said she will be among the 15 athletes from the club who will participate in the event.

“It will be my last event and I am sad. I hope to finish the event under 11 hours and receive my double green number.”

She shared she will forever cherish the moments and the memories of the Comrades. “I ran my first Comrades

Marathon when I was 30 years old. I was nervous at the time but the more I participated, the more my confidence grew and I loved every moment of it. I will miss the event and everything that came with it. The preparations were always amazing and fascinating. One had to do 1 200km in six months to maintain one’s fitness levels to ensure you are ready for the race.”

She said she could have chosen any sporting code in her teenage years, but that athletics stole her heart. “I loved the discipline that came with the sport and the fact it is not expensive to take part in. You only need running shoes. One is able to socialise and build relations as compared to other sporting codes. The camaraderie among the athletes is something to marvel at and the feeling when we run together is something one cannot explain.”