It was 20 years ago that Shaun Meiklejohn won the Comrades Marathon. Sheetal Cross caught up with him
SINCE the 1980s, ultramarathon star Shaun Meiklejohn has built up an impressive track record, pulling off wins against even the best of the best, the likes of ultramarathon legend Bruce Fordyce (59).
Meiklejohn, now 53, won 10 gold Comrades medals between 1989 and 1999, and finished in the top 15 in the Two Oceans ultra in 1994. That year, he represented South Africa in the world 100km championships in Japan, finishing fourth. Later in ‘94 he won the London to Brighton ultra in the UK. In addition, he has proudly achieved 16 silver medals, or as he jokes, “a shoebox full”.
His journey began at university in Pietermaritzburg in 1981. He was encouraged by his varsity friends to train for the Comrades. At first, they only ran for a few months every year preparing for the race, until Meiklejohn realised he had the potential to improve, as his times got better every year.
“I had a motor bike accident in 1981, so although I had entered the Comrades, I was forced to watch from the sidelines,” he recalls.
“From 1982 until 1988 I served my ‘apprenticeship’ as an athlete. I read and sought advice from the experts on how to train properly (mainly Tim Noakes and Bruce Fordyce), and so I became hooked on ultra-distance road running,” he said.
At this point he trained more consistently and said that his approach became ”scientific and professional”.
After his run of successes, he decided to take a break and concentrate on his family and alternate income, using his Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting from the then University of Natal (KZN).
Meiklejohn said: “I was only a ‘professional’ runner for about six years, which was not a sustainable career. Having to support a wife and kids to follow, I went back into commerce as a financial manager at a plant hire company, and I am at present the financial director at Innovative Shared Services.”
In 2010, he returned to his long-time passion and entered the Comrades for the 22nd time. His dedication to sport over the next few years saw him winning the Masters Category, as well as compliments from the legendary Fordyce, who commented on Meiklejohn’s performance as being “the best” of the year (2013).
“I am probably a classic example of an individual who didn’t possess the best pedigree in terms of athletic ability, but I was able to identify what my strengths and weaknesses were, work really hard