Local teacher remains a record holder for running

Former Benoni High School teacher Frith van der Merwe is well-known in Benoni for not only being a high school teacher but also for her impeccable running journey.

Teaching at St Francis College, van der Merwe no longer takes part in events such as the Comrades. She, however, still competes in parkruns and runs every morning to begin her day on a high note.

“I only started running in high school,” she said.

“I used to only play tennis, but at the time our principal would force everyone to run on Fridays after school, and I turned out to be pretty good at it. I ran my first cross-country race in a tennis dress and shoes and won.”

Once this Farrarmere resident realised she was good at the sport, she began to take it more seriously by training harder and eventually running for Eastern Transvaal. She would also run for Wits University.

“I met Bruce Fordyce at this time and we became really good friends. Through him I got involved in the parkruns,” she said.

But the pull to return to Benoni proved inevitable, and she came back to her beloved town to sign at Benoni Northerns.

“Once I joined Northerns I was sucked into Comrades,” she said.

“It was such a happy time for me. The running parties, the marathons, the vibe, Northerns was just like home, like a family and they still are.”

Her love of running led her to compete in her very first Comrades in 1987, where she placed as the sixth lady overall.

“That was when Bruce said to me, Frith, you can win this thing,” she said.

As it turns out, Bruce was correct because in 1988 van der Merwe won her very first Comrades, with more achievements following.

This includes winning the Two Oceans Marathon in three hours 32 minutes (the record still stands for the last 32 years), holds the record for the first woman to run the Comrades under six hours (five hours and 54 minutes) and placing 15th overall in the South African Marathon Championships.

“I absolutely adore running. My favourite part is definitely running into the stadium, seeing the finishing line at the Comrades and having the music blaring and everyone cheering. It just gives me goosebumps thinking about it,” she said.

She also received her green number.

“You get your green number if you have three wins behind your name, five golds or have run 10 Comrades,” she said.

“I am so honored to have received my number for my three wins.”

This former Willowmoore High School learner has also run plenty overseas, competing in marathons in Berlin, Paris and Tiberius, Israel.

“The Berlin Marathon was tough. They didn’t have normal water tables like we do in South Africa. They would give some weird lemon water, so I did struggle a bit,” she said.

“In the world champs I finished seventh overall, the Paris Marathon third overall and Israel was just fantastic, not only the marathon but also all the amazing history. It’s just an amazing experience and I placed first.”

Van der Merwe wanted to share some helpful advice with anyone considering taking part in the Comrades.

“Don’t try anything new, don’t change your diet and sleep well in the days leading up to the Comrades because I can promise, you won’t sleep the night before because of excitement and nerves.

“When you start the race, begin slow and pace yourself. Bruce would write the word relax on his hand so whenever he felt he was speeding or not pacing he would read his hand and slow himself down. If you take off too quickly, you won’t last long,” she said.

“But the most important thing is to have fun. Enjoy yourself because it’s such an amazing experience.”

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