He ran his latest Comrades earlier this year when he managed to complete the race in just under 11 hours. Not for nothing is Wietse known as the “Comrades King”.

 

“It was a good day on the road. I had a hip injury that I had to take care of, but once again, my daughter Louise and I ran a good race, helping a number of other runners to complete the Comrades in under 11 hours.”

 

He adds that he would like to carry on and aim for 50 consecutive races. “By the grace of God, I have been healthy and able to participate for the last 41 years. Now I have nine more to go.”

 

For the love of running

 

Wietse obtained his teaching qualification at the NWU in 1979 and has been running for as long as he can remember. He started by taking part in cross-country events, became a race walker later on and kicked off his marathon running career in 1978 at the age of 19, during his third year of study.

 

One of his hardest races was the Comrades of 2013.“It was one of the hottest days in the history of the Comrades, with the warm berg winds blowing all the energy out of us. The dropout rate that year was very high and a lot of people were treated for dehydration,” he says.

 

It runs in the family

 

He currently lives in the Mother City, Cape Town, with his wife, Wilna, and two daughters, Louise and Wilandi.

 

Both of his daughters are Comrades runners too. Louise has run five Comrades and Wilandi three. Wietse describes his proudest moment as the day his daughters took part in their first Comrades.

 

“I use my training to motivate and coach other runners who have a dream of participating in the Comrades,” he says. A few years ago, he started his own running club, "Wietse se run" in Bellville, where runners from all walks of life get together to make friends and train towards a common goal.

 

“The best way to get something done is to get started. If you have always wanted to run the Comrades, just start with your training and join a club or a group of runners to keep you motivated through the difficult times,” he concludes.

 

Click here to watch a few videos about Wietse’s Comrades journey.