Andries Venter completes 32 Comrades Marathons
Andries Venter shares his experience of 34 Comrades Marathons with the Record.
COMRADES veteran Andries Venter describes this gruelling ultramarathon as something which gives you immense personal rewards.
He has entered into 34 separate Comrades marathons of which he finished 32, won 19 silver medals and his top time in one of these races is 6:24.
Andries, who is currently the vice chairman of Alberton Athletics Club, shared his experiences with the Comrades marathon over the years with the RECORD.
“People often say to me, why do want to keep doing this?” said Andries.
“What is it about putting your body through all this training, for just one day of hoping that you have done enough and that you will achieve your goal, or even just survive, over a very demanding and testing 90km stretch of road between Pietermaritzburg and Durban?”
According to Andries it’s not about that one day of running. The day itself is merely a culmination of many months’ worth of input into his passion.
The training required often comes hand in hand with sacrificing many of life’s pleasures.
“Running the Comrades is much more than that. It is a life experience that one chooses to live, and to most seasoned Comrades runners it is a lifestyle,” he said.
“Comrades does give one immense personal reward, often inner reward more than the obvious external, physiological rewards.”
“It is a lifestyle that I had chosen many years ago, and while my physical body is still prepared to work in unison with my mind, it is a lifestyle and experience I will keep pursuing.”
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