Northerns runner proud of Comrades achievement
This was the third time he completed the ultimate human race.
When Benoni Northerns Athletics top runner Shane McGregor entered the Moses Mabhida Stadium to complete the Comrades Marathon, he went through a variety of emotions.
“Coming in through the finishing shoot and onto the field is always an emotional experience because at different phases of the race you question yourself,” he told the City Times.
McGregor completed the race in a time of 06:57:17 to become the BNAC’s first athlete at the finish.
“Coming into the field is euphoric. It it lifts you and feels like you have wings on your feet. You cruise in there and get a big lump on your throat because you think about all the sacrifices you made to train for the race.”
This was the third time McGregor completed the ultimate human race.
After not achieving his goals in his first two races, it was the third time lucky for the 30-year-old.
“I set myself a goal and visualised what I needed to do to achieve it. I removed the 90km and possible positioning and focused on my progress and what I needed to do to get where I wanted to be.
“Based on previous results, I had an idea where I might end up. With about 15km left, my family told me I was doing well. That motivated me to go for it.”
He finished 146th overall and 87th in his category, achieving a silver medal, which is kept safely in his pocket as he doesn’t want to let it out of his sight.
“This year I wanted a different approach. I almost accepted that I had done everything in my power to do what I can do and that what happened on the day was beyond my control.
Also Read: Benoni Northerns Athletic Club runners at Comrades Marathon 2018
“The new approach allowed me to focus on the positives and everything I worked on. I think that’s why I had a great day on race day.”
While others may bemoan the disruptions Covid-19 caused in their lives, for McGregor, it was a blessing in disguise.
“It gave me two years to train for this. After 2019, I decided to skip the 2020 Comrades to train. The two years off allowed me to build a base.”
Finishing the comrades is quite a feat to accomplish, due to the possibility that the legs might give in or someone may die along the way.
Why keep going back?
“Once you do it, you always want to go back. It’s about going there to see if you can achieve something. Comrades has a cult-following in the country. It’s one of the races every runner in South Africa wants to complete,” McGregor said.
This year, a total of 13 213 runners participated in the down run with 11 709 finishing.
What makes the Comrades monumental?
“You have your average person with a nine-to-five job running next to a CEO of a JSE-listed company or someone underprivileged come and achieve something remarkable. It’s very special.”
McGregor believes the event has played a crucial role in unifying the country.
“You can go back to the 1980s when Bruce Fordyce and some runners wore black armbands protesting against the past government. Although you had black runners participating, it was still frowned upon. But you had guys like Bruce who stood up for things to change.”
Northerns saw 119 of its runners finish the race. With the abundance of comrades experience at the club, McGregor’s star will keep rising.
“We are an incredible club. We have stalwarts with more than 20 finishes among them. These are guys who are always ready to guide us and help us stay injury free.”
Also Read: Gutsy showing at Comrades by Benoni runners
