If her recent results in the Comrades Marathon’s ‘down run’ are anything to go by it seems as if it will take some doing to beat Britain’s Ellie Greenwood who will participate in the colors of the Nedbank Green Dream Team this year.

She is in fact the defending champion of the run between Pietermaritzburg to Durban. In 2014 the Nedbank athlete made Comrades history when she became the first British female athlete to win. It was a remarkable performance because with 18 km to go she was eight minutes behind the race leader but she still managed to recover the deficit and win in a time of 6:18:15.

Greenwood’s Comrades ‘CV’ makes for good reading. In her four races she has never finished outside the top ten. In her first race, in 2011, she was 4^th (6:32:47); in 2012 she finished 2^nd (6:08:24) and last year she was 6^th (6:44:03).

It is interesting to note that in the last five ‘down-runs’ only Russia’s Elena Nurgalieva managed to run a faster time than Greenwood’s winning time of 6:07:12.

However, Greenwood is quite realistic.  She realizes that, no matter how interesting statistics may be, on the actual day of racing they do not count for anything.

“The Comrades Marathon is all about who wants it the most on the day and who is able to ignore the pain and discomfort the longest.

“Of course I would love a second victory, but I have huge respect for the depth of talent in the women’s field. I will race the best race I can and hopefully that will allow me to be well up in the women’s field,” the Nedbank athlete said.

“My training for Comrades has been progressing very well this year, certainly hugely better than my training in 2015 which was, to say the least, injury hampered and not adequate for a top level performance.

“This year I have chosen not to race too much in preparation for the Comrades and to focus on my training instead. To confirm my fitness level I will compete in the BMO Vancouver Marathon (1 May), which will be more like a hard training run. I have done so before each of my Comrades races.”

Greenwood said she heard about Comrades in 2010, shortly after she had won the IAU World 100km Championship race.

“Our team manager recommended that I race the Comrades because there is no race like it. I decided to follow his advice and in my first attempt in 2011 I finished 4^th and was immediately hooked.

“I keep coming back to Comrades for many reasons, but primarily because it is the biggest, oldest, and most competitive and prestigious ultra-race in the world.  The level of competition is very good and the atmosphere surrounding the whole event is unlike any other ultra,” Greenwood concluded.