All set for Comrades

Erika Bantjes from Pietersburg Road Runners Club is among the Limpopo athletes who will be taking part in the Comrades Marathon this year.

Bantjes will be participating in the Comrades for the 11th time and she says she is looking forward to it.

She recently completed two 94,7km cycle races and one Iron Man race, with the latter being a combination of a 3,8km swim, a 180km cycle race and 42km marathon.

Bantjes is now preparing for the Om die Dam race that will take place on Saturday, as well as the the Loskop Ultra Marathon which will be hosted on April 12.

“The upcoming races will serve as preparation for the Comrades Marathon and I intend to do my best and hopefully come home with some medals,” she said.

She further said she had completed a 1 500km race. “Completing the race gave me the green light to enter for the Comrades.”

Bantjes started taking part in marathons in 2000 and says she has always enjoyed the time alone pounding the tar.

“Running gives me time to communicate with God, and also to socialise with other like-minded athletes.”

She has won so many medals since starting this sport, that she says she cannot even count them. “The medals do not matter that much to me. I am doing it with passion and love.

“The biggest challenge in running is that you do not compete with anyone else but yourself,” she added.

Bantjes urged young people to engage in sport rather than becoming couch potatoes. She said sport is the best tool one can use to live a healthy life and eventually have a healthy mind.