Kajsa Berg (@Nedbank Green Team) might just be the runner who spoils the ‘fun’ for the race favourites in Sunday’s Comrades marathon.

The Swede finished 2^nd in the World 100km Championships in Winchoten, the Netherlands last September, improving her best time to 7 hours 20 minutes and 48 seconds.

What made her performance remarkable is that she gave birth to twins at the beginning of last year.

According to Berg she has been training specifically for Comrades since her 2^nd place finish in the 100km. Her Swedish teammates convinced her that Comrades is a once in a lifetime experience for an ultra-runner and a ‘must do’.”

Berg admits that she knows very little about the Comrades.

“I have heard about the race as such but I don’t have any details or references. I have since tried to understand what Comrades is all about. I have been told by my Swedish teammates that there is a unique atmosphere along the route from Pietermaritzburg to Durban. I am looking forward to experience it myself,” said the @Nedbank Dream Team athlete.

Being a mom as well as a dedicated runner means that Berg sometimes have to think outside the proverbial box.

“When I was training in Sweden during the winter, I did a lot of kilometres running with my two kids in a pram.  This was not only a great endurance exercise, it also helped to increase my strength as a runner.  More importantly, I was able to spend time with the twins and training as well. The twins have definitely given a new perspective to my running career.”

Berg said she has been running for about nine years.

“I tried to run shorter distances and on the track but it didn’t work. No matter how hard I trained I didn’t get any faster. I then tried a marathon, and that was much more fun. Once you get the hang of running marathons you start wondering how far you are actually capable of running. That is how I started competing in ultra-races.

“It was actually Jonas Buud (@Nedbank Dream Team) who encouraged me to step outside my boundaries while I was doing a 50km run with him in his hometown. We were running at a much faster pace than what I was used to and that gave me not only physical but mainly mental strength.”

Buud is the World 100km men’s champion. The Swede also has a quite impressive Comrades CV. His best result was a second-place finish in 2013 on the up-run.  He finished in a time of 5:41:21. In 2011 he was 4th in 5:42:45 and in 2014 he was 7th in 5:38:17.

Who knows?  There might just be a Swedish ‘Changing of the guards” at the Comrades on Sunday.