Blue Number Club Digimag #1 December 2025 | Page 15

ELITE BLUES

Dressed in a stylish bottle green day cocktail dress with immaculately subtle make-up, Landie Greyling could be confused for a cover girl rather than that‘ girl-next-door’ running star that so many of us have come to love. In past years she has dominated the trails around South Africa, represented her country at the World Champs in trail running, and collected numerous prestigious wins and podium finishes around the world, often alongside husband and fellow SA International Christiaan Greyling.

She is also the proud holder of Trail BNC Permanent Number 1, which was issued to her in 2014. The Two Oceans Trail Runs were introduced in 2010, with long and short distance options, and in keeping with the Blue Number tradition of both the Ultra Marathon and Half Marathon races, it was announced that permanent numbers would be issued in the trail events as well. An athlete could earn their‘ Trail Blue’ by completing one of the Trail Runs 10 times, or by winning one of the events three times, so when Landie won the women’ s Long Course race in 2012, 2013 and 2014, she was issued with the first of these new permanent numbers.
She went on win the Long Course race again in 2015, giving her four consecutive wins, then added two second place finishes in 2016 and 2017, followed by a third place in the Short Course race in 2018 for a seventh consecutive podium finish at the Two Oceans Trail Runs. The only other athlete to record three wins in the Two Oceans Trail Runs is men’ s winner in 2017, 2018 and 2019, Kane Reilly, who was issued with Trail BNC Permanent Number 2.( To date, just eight athletes have earned Trail Run permanent numbers, with the remaining six all having done so by completing the race 10 times.)

“ And I think I learned all of these things through my years of studying, because nothing just comes to you in running. It’ s about consistency.”

RUMOURS OF RETIREMENT
Best known as an elite-level trail runner, Landie has also impressed on the roads in the last couple of years. She finished 25th in the women’ s race at the 2024 Totalsports Two Oceans Ultra Marathon, and in 2025 stepped things up by claiming the SA Marathon title at the Balwin Sport Peninsula Marathon, then claimed a remarkable ninth place in the 2025 Two Oceans Ultra, followed by a top 20 finish in her first attempt at the Comrades Marathon.
However, just when it seemed her new career in ultra-distance road racing was taking flight, the news came out that Landie is retiring from professional running.“ Yes, I’ ve made the decision that my season of professionally training and elite running − for now − is parked in the background,” she says serenely.“ I’ m going to focus a bit more on my family and my profession as a chartered accountant,” she adds.
News of her decision may come as a surprise to many, but shows once again how strategically Landie has always approached her running. You don’ t get to podium as often as she has in her storied and highly successful running career without careful planning and strategic race-day execution, and being able to think on your feet... much like an accountant working through a balance sheet. Unsurprisingly, when pressed about attaining her Master’ s degree in accountancy, she compares the grit that went into her studies with the grit needed to get through a trail or road-running ultra.
Images: Action Photo SA, Two Oceans Marathon & courtesy Landie Greyling
Landie earned her Blue Number by winning the Two Oceans Long Trail Run three times
“ That prepared me to be an ultra runner, because there is nothing glamorous about accountancy. You literally have to sit on your behind and do the hard work, and have the discipline to study when everyone else is doing everything else. Similarly, you go through all the same motions in an ultra. You use all the tools and the things that you learnt when you were studying, like when you thought you couldn’ t sit on your behind one more second. That’ s why, in my first five years of running, I used to go back to my studying days and say, listen, if I could do that, then this is just like a walk in the park.” says Landie.
“ I found that as it was with studying, there are moments in running you feel really sorry for yourself, but positivity is key in running. I tell all the athletes I coach, that if your legs are hurting and you can’ t breathe, just say,‘ Listen, look at my arms, man! They’ re still strong. They’ re still working.’ You must speak positive, focus on the things that are going right, not on the things that
Focused on her pacing on Chapman’ s Peak Drive during the 2025 Ultra
are going wrong. Tell yourself,‘ I can still do this, if I forget about those things.’ And I think I learned all of these things through my years of studying, because nothing just comes to you in running. It’ s about consistency. It’ s stacking the bricks, year on year, just doing your thing, and one day it will all come together.”
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