TZANEEN – Jacques Burger, a Tzaneen resident, recently flew the South African flag high during the London Marathon.

Although he did not win or take any podium spots, Burger says he is happy to have been part of history.

Personal best time

He finished the 42km race in 04:23:46, a personal best.

He was excited to have achieved a personal best time, since his plan ahead of the race was simply to finish. He had been told it was impossible to set a personal best with so many runners on the way.

One of only 60 000

“Being accepted to be part of the 60 000 runners from across the world was exciting for me. Over a million people applied to be part of the race, but only 60 000 of us were accepted,” Burger said.

Part of history

He was also part of history when Sabastian Sawe from Kenya broke the world record in 01:59:30, as well as the Guinness World Record for the largest number of finishers in the world at 59 830.

“For me, these are memories I will cherish forever, because I might not run the race ever again,” he said.

The Tzaneen runner says it was a great environment, but cold, although the weather was not a big factor. He lived in London for three years before and is used to the weather there.

“They closed the entire city. People were busy cheering for us on the streets with loud music playing non-stop. What an experience.

“We started in Greenwich Park, through East London, over Tower Bridge into central London, Isle of Dogs, through Canary Wharf, Trafalgar Square, London Eye, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, through to the finish line.”

Next race: Magoeba Plunge Marathon

His next race is the Magoeba Plunge Marathon later this year.