POLOKWANE – Pietersburg Road Runners athlete, Johan van der Merwe has added yet another Washie 100 mile title to his name, making it his forth consecutive win.
Held for the 39th year, Van der Merwe took part in the 160,93km marathon from Port Alfred to East London last Friday.
He finished in a time of 13:39:45, a whopping 2:06:03 ahead of the second place winner, Mcebisi Yose.
Asked how the race was, he said: “it is without a doubt the hardest marathon I have ever run, it’s like a rollercoaster when you are running uphill, downhill and then uphill again”.
As the marathon starts in the evening, runners have to endure cold weather conditions, which keeps them more focused, making the marathon much more challenging.
“I personally feel that I run a lot better during the day in the heat, because when it is cold, your muscles are a lot tighter, making it difficult to run to your full potential,” said Van der Merwe.
He said the roads were extremely busy at that time, making the race not only difficult, but dangerous.
“Because of the busy road, you have to be even more focused than in a usual race, but I have to give it to the officials who managed the race, they did a really good job and put in a lot of effort,” he said.
Van der Merwe added that he planned to compete in the race again next year. He said he was going to take a week off before he starts with preparations for the 100 Capital Classic, which starts on September 18.
“It will be a track race, making the route easier, but mentally you have to be extremely tough to keep on going even when you hit the wall, you have to break through it and carry on.”
He said he lived by his motto: “When the aim is to improve the record, you should commit by running above and beyond race record pace from the start, this is the key to success”.
“This motto is so true because if you don’t believe in yourself and hold back, you are not going to do well, but when you do believe in yourself, that is when you achieve greatness,” he said.
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