Meet Christo the Comrades runner!

Experience what it’s like to run the Comrades Marathon through the eyes of a Randmark Cycle, Walk and Running Club member.

Christo Schoeman participated in the Comrades Marathon with nine other members of his club.

After five years of studying and recovering from a back operation, Christo decided to get back into his Comrades attire. Although training didn’t go quite as expected, Christo reckoned that he’d put ‘enough’ kilometres on his legs for the big day, and decided to go and enjoy the Marathon.

“The Comrades Marathon is one of the best, no, ‘The Best’ test of human endurance and more than that, human camaraderie, ever established,” said Christo.

He told us about meeting up with an old friend at the starting line and deciding to pair up with him once again. The first 45 minutes seemed easy for Christo, and they subsequently decided to still aim for a ‘sub-11 hour race’. Despite the supporters constantly keeping them company, they had to occupy their minds as well, in order to focus on something other than their drained legs and bodies.

While running there are some amazing causes to be discovered; one of them includes running barefoot for charity. This gave Christo a huge mental boost just before the halfway mark and fuelled him for most of the marathon.

Along the route, Christo met up with club-mates and friends, and even reunited with one of his primary school friends. Although the last 10 kilometres was a bit ‘tight’, Christo and his friend achieved their goal and managed to finish the Comrades in under 11 hours.

“I ran with a significant beard this year. It must have made me stand out for the crowd, as people made comments and cheered more for the beard than for me,” he said. “The most memorable chirp I heard going through Pinetown was still ringing in my ears as I went over the finish line: ‘Go on Christo! Take that beard all the way to the finish!’ “

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