Thursday, 1 June, marked exactly 50 years to the day when Massyn ran the gruelling ultramarathon for the first time. Massyn boasts a best time of 6:25:00 which he ran back in 1981.

The 72-year-old Massyn has also completed the iconic Two Oceans Marathon a staggering 46 times.

While the Comrades distance varies slightly every year it’s approximately 90km. This equates to approximately 4230km that Massyn has run at the ultramarathon over the course of his life. On the roads of Cape Town, he has covered 2576km during the Two Oceans.

Massyn, whose goal is to run each of the ultramarathons 50 times, told OFM Sport that the other athletes are what drives him.

“My preparation for this year's race has been good and I've done 1200km in training since the 1st of January,” said Massyn.

“I should be able to finish the race very comfortably.

“My motivation in running the Comrades Marathon year-after-year is actually my fellow runners. I really want to thank them for keeping me motivated. I am an inspiration for them, and they really do keep me motivated in running the race year-after-year.

“My end goal for the Comrades and the Two Oceans ultramarathon would be to run 50 of both of these races in my life... then I might hang up my running shoes.”

This year’s Comrades is a down-run which will start in Pietermaritzburg and end in Durban.

The 2023 Comrades will be run on Sunday, 11 June.

Morgan Piek OFM Sport