Chatsworth Athletic Club will be well represented in the 90th Comrades marathon between Durban and Pietermaritzburg on Sunday when 107 athletes proudly display the club’s colours in the gruelling run over 90 kilometres.
Internationally recognised for the body-sapping challenge it poses and the camaraderie it fosters among its thousands of participants, this year’s event will be especially significant for three runners from the club who are hoping to complete their 20th Comrades, thereby qualifying for the Comrades Marathon Double Green Number Club Roll of Honour.
They are Dr Sid Reddy, Lulu Govender and Thomas Daniels.
A Green Number is awarded in perpetuity to participants who have successfully completed 10 Comrades Marathons, while 20 successful runs earns membership to the exclusive Double Green Number Club.
Govender and Daniels said the honour of running the 20th Comrades would be just reward for many hours of intensive training and sacrifice.
Daniels said he took up running about 20 years ago when he had to run at 4am every day to catch transport to work.
“Running became a habit and I then decided to continue it over weekends,” he said.
Reddy, a dentist from Chatsworth who started running 25 years ago, spoke of the years pounding the pavements.
“I wanted to lose some weight and took part in five and 10-kilometre fun runs and half marathons. Then the bug bit.
“To date I have participated in more than 100 marathons. I am looking forward to completing the milestone 20th Comrades Marathon and joining the Double Green Number Club.
“Next year I want to run my 20th Two Oceans Marathon in Cape Town to qualify for a Double Blue Number.”
With his wife Ragini, who is a Chatsworth social worker, accompanying him to give moral support, Reddy has run on all continents. He has run marathons in Moscow, New York, Sydney, Cairo, Beijing, Berlin, Lausanne, Orlando and Venice.
He urged Chatsworth residents to line the route of the Comrades Marathon to support runners from the Chatsworth Athletic Club.
Club PRO Rathen Govender said they had 120 athletes who were registered to take part in this year’s Comrades Marathon.