ROAD RUNNING
MARATHONING
Around the World
At the rate he ’ s going , Julian Karp will pass the 40,075km mark in marathon or ultra race mileage before the end of 2018 , which will mean he has literally marathoned the distance around the widest part of the earth … and then he ’ ll just keep going , because he simply loves the long races ! – BY SEAN FALCONER
With his distinctive long grey hair flowing , 57-year-old Julian Karp eases his way through one marathon or ultra after another . In 2016 he did 62 races of 42km or longer , and this past year he added another 51 , bringing his tally to 704 races , including 227 ultras . That in turn includes 25 Comrades , 20 Two Oceans , 9 Om Die Dams , 10 Karoo Ultras , 5 Washies , 6 Loskops , 5 Cape Town 100km , 10 Chatsworth 52km , and many more . To date his marathoning mileage totals over 36,400km , and Julian says his motivation to run them is simple to explain .
“ It ’ s all about the people that I run with and have become friends with over the years , that I share adventures with , who are just as passionate about running , like the incredible guys down in the Transkei who will do anything for you , and the folks in Bloemfontein and Kimberly , and Louis Massyn and the boys in Welkom . When I go to these races it feels just like I ’ m going home ,” says Julian .
Julian running the 2017 Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon
“ It ’ s also about the privilege of running , like being allowed to run the West Coast Marathon in the West Coast National Park in the Cape , or the Skukuza and Entabeni races through game reserves further north . Also , I love to see how much effort people put into our races in this country . In Nairobi you get warm water every 5km … if you ’ re lucky ! We really are spoilt in SA , and have nothing to complain about , because our races must be top in the world in terms of organisation .”
Getting Going
Born in Johannesburg , Julian played competitive tennis at school and turned out for the Wits under-21 soccer side , but torn knee ligaments at 18 ended his playing career . He then focused on his financial studies and articles , and while serving in the navy also studied biokinetics and completed an advanced diploma in exercise science . “ While at Two Military Hospital , I was exposed to biokinetics , and that helped me to rehabilitate my knee . Back in Joburg a mate asked me to join him on a short run , and the rest is history ,” says Julian . “ In those days I was cruising along at 10 minutes per kay , and we would run in the same area as Bruce Fordyce , who would always greet and encourage us .”
Having moved back to Cape Town , Julian was then invited by a work colleague who ran Two Oceans to join for some longer runs , and that saw him step up through 21km and 32 to his first marathon . “ Then in the late 80s I did my first Two Oceans , followed by the Comrades , but I decided quite early that I was more into endurance than speed , and started doing mostly longer races , including 100-milers . Touch wood , the knee is still holding up all these years later .”
Coming home at the Old Mutual Soweto Marathon
Now semi-retired and living in La Mercy , near Durban , Julian divides his time between helping his brother with a new business venture in Johannesburg and building a new house down on the coast , and the rest of the time flying around the country to run marathons . “ In 2016 I took some time off work and completed marathons in Kenya , Uganda , Zimbabwe , Zambia and Namibia , to name a few , and I ’ m thinking of running some marathons in West Africa , so the last two years have been an incredible adventure ,” he says .
Travel Tales
Of course , with so many races packed into a hectic travelling schedule – he jokes that the cabin crew on the airlines know him by name thanks to his frequent flights – Julian can look back on some interesting race experiences , including many weekends with two marathons on consecutive days , and much late night travelling ! “ I remember one year when I was working in Bloemfontein , we finished a Friday night stock-take at midnight , and then I drove to Pretoria for a race . I even got there in time to catch a bit of sleep in the car before I ran ,” says Julian .
“ I often used to work till 7pm , then fly to Joburg on the last flight and arrive at midnight , before driving to races . I would sometimes arrive just in time for a start , but one year I
Images : Jetline Action Photo & courtesy Julian Karp
16 ISSUE 102 JANUARY 2018 / www . modernathlete . co . za