Bernice Piveteau looked relaxed as she soaked in the magnitude of the occasion awaiting her when she lines up for her 20th Comrades Marathon on June 14.

Surrounded by her husband Eric and best friend John Eigelaar, the Benoni Northerns Athletic Club (BNAC) captain received a rousing ovation from the 300 members and supporters gathered at Summer Place in Boksburg for the club’s Comrades send-off breakfast on June 7.

She will earn her coveted double green number, joining a distinguished group of Northerns runners, past and present, who have reached the 20-race milestone, including triple green number recipient and club president Jan Jordaan.

Piveteau made her debut in the ultimate human race in 2000 and initially planned to complete only three races. However, the Comrades bug bit early and the race soon became a permanent fixture on her annual calendar.

“I ran my first one in 2000. It has been a long journey, but I’m very excited. It’s going to be a good day out,” said Piveteau.

“This one is extremely special because I never set out to do more than three. I wanted to do an up and a down and then somehow I just carried on. When I got to 10, I thought I might as well go for 20. Then I reached 15 and Covid-19 happened. I wondered whether I should continue, but then it became five to go. Now it is here and I can’t believe it’s been a lifetime doing this.”

A Comrades bronze medal runner, Piveteau has accumulated 18 bronze medals and one Vic Clapham medal during her journey. Her personal best of 09:12:12 came in the 2009 race.

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She attributes her longevity in the race to commitment, discipline and consistency.

“It’s that commitment to doing something repeatedly and having discipline in your life. I like structure and discipline, so this works well for me. I’ve always enjoyed exercise and committing to something specific like Comrades means maintaining consistency. Comrades is the epitome of structure and discipline.”

More than a club

Steeped in tradition, BNAC has become synonymous with the Comrades Marathon and continues to send one of the largest club contingents to the race.

Ranked ninth on the list of clubs with the most runners in this year’s race, 180 athletes will leave Durban City Hall in the club’s yellow, white and red colours before tackling the 85.77km up run to Pietermaritzburg.

Besides Piveteau’s milestone, eight athletes will earn their green numbers for completing 10 races, 19 are chasing back-to-back medals and 33 novices will make their Comrades debuts. Among them is Kaleigh Austin (21), one of the youngest runners in this year’s field.

Last year, BNAC recorded an impressive finish rate, with 151 of its 174 starters completing the race. The club collected four silver, 21 Bill Rowan, 19 Robert Mtshali, 50 bronze and 57 Vic Clapham medals.

“We’ve put a lot of work into preparing for the hills,” said chairman Mark Dingle.

“The captain and vice-captain and all the group leaders have worked hard to encourage runners to attend hill sessions and tough training races. Those are the sessions that properly prepare you for the demands of the up run.”

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