Daniel powers into top 10 in 100-miler trail run
Marc Daniel bettered his previous time by 08:22:55.
After conquering his first Karkloof 100-mile in 2022, Marc Daniel knew he had unfinished business with the gruelling ultra-trail.
Three years later, he returned stronger, smarter and more determined and his performance in the event held in Howick from September 19 to 21 proved it.
This time around, the Benoni Northerns Athletic Club (BNAC) athlete powered through the KZN terrain to claim a remarkable seventh-place finish in 25:48:48, a massive improvement from his 34:11:43 debut that saw him finish 17th.
“My first attempt at the Karkloof 100 miler was in 2022 and I finished it feeling like I could do better. I quickly realised that preparation for such an event was far different to what I expected and how I had trained for it,” said the ultra-distance runner.
His run throughout the three days of the event wasn’t just faster by 08:22:55, it was a testament to relentless preparation, mental resilience and a burning desire to outdo his previous performance.
“This year, I trained more specifically for the task at hand as well as having much-needed support from friends and family along the route and the critical need of having pacers to run with me from halfway to the finish.
Daniel, who has completed the Comrades Marathon 14 times with a lifetime best of 07:23:12 from the 2023 down run when he got a silver medal, couldn’t have completed the 160km of the course without the support of his family.
“I was fortunate enough to have my ‘favourite cousin’ Jamie Owen and my ‘wingwoman’ Robyn Daniel join me for the last 64km of the 160km run. Such an event takes you through some rather dark places, but having the ability to dig deep through these periods of the run allowed me to complete it faster than my first race.”
Also Read: Robyn achieves Comrades PB for little leukemia sufferer
Also Read: Frustration for Daniel Botha’s family as appeal hearing doesn’t happen
