Cape Town – South Africa’s trail racing power couple, Landie and Christiaan Greyling, are gearing up to tackle the tough 60km Spanish Penyagolosa Trails in April.
The Stellenbosch residents will test their ultra-endurance pedigrees against some of the world’s most competitive athletes next month.
Preparations for the pair included the 3222 Stage Trail Run in Lesotho early this month and the Trail du Mont Rochelle in Franschhoek.
Christiaan, 34, who in December was the first South African to cross the line in the 100km Ultra Trail Cape Town, will be hoping for a top-five finish to improve his International Trail Running Association Ranking, while Landie, 35, will be hoping for a top three podium spot.
Prior to Landie’s pregnancy, she was the first woman home at the 2017 Grand Raid Des Pyrenees in Europe, and locally has held titles including champion of the Ultra Trail Cape Town and Otter African Trail Run.
“Penyagolosa Trails is a new race to us, but we have raced in Spain many times and love it, as it is the second most mountainous country in Europe.
"The event hosted the Ultra World Trail Champs last year and is part of the Ultra-Trail World Tour, so a sure highlight on the trail running calendar,” Christiaan said.
He doesn’t believe in doing too many 100km events in a year, so the couple are doing the 60km as a build-up to longer races later this year.
Landie will also race the Hout Bay Trail Challenge at the end of the month, which doubles as the SA Trail Champs. This tough 40km race will see her racing against the country’s top trail runners, and she hopes to do well.
“This will give me a good indication of how fit and ready I am for Spain. Time constraints and a lack of sleep mean I am hoping to use muscle memory - less time on the legs more quality work to add speed,” she said.
Landie, who has a five-month-old baby, has to juggle being a mom and running, which she described as the most challenging thing that she has done in her running career.
“My longest run to date has been one four-hour run - breastfeeding, even when you are expressing, means the longer runs are a logistical feat.”