When young Christopher Greyling makes his appearance towards the end of September , he will enter the world with a certain amount of expectation on his shoulders . After all , his parents , Landie and Christiaan Greyling , are pretty much considered royalty in South African trail running circles .
– BY SEAN FALCONER
Having both represented South Africa in World Champs events , and having both won an impressive number of events , including the prestigious Otter Trail Marathon , it comes as no surprise that much is expected of Landie and Christiaan ’ s child . “ Everyone keeps telling us that they expect him to be a real running superstar with our combined genes , but we want him to choose what he likes ,” says Christiaan . “ He doesn ’ t need to be a runner , but we will expose him to the mountains and outdoor activities , because we believe that what you ’ re exposed to when you ’ re young will affect what you love when you ’ re older .”
Landie says the pregnancy was not exactly 100 % planned , although they had been talking about starting a family sometime in the near future , given that they are now both in their early 30s . “ I picked up an injury last year and it was quite funny how many people suddenly started suggesting that it was perfect timing to have a baby , since I wasn ’ t running anyway . We actually considered it and I went to see the doctor about the steps to take , but in the meantime I had started running again , so we decided to cancel the appointments and first do some projects , like our Lesotho
Crossing in March 2018 … but then I found out on 14 February that I was already nine weeks pregnant .”
Landie still managed to get some racing in earlier this year , even finishing on the podium a few times as she began to regain fitness , and she continued running throughout her pregnancy , still averaging around 60km a week at seven months . “ My running has just been slow and controlled of late , because I listen to my body , and gymming three times a week also helps , but I finally had to revert to women ’ s push-ups , because the weight was getting too much for my arms !” she laughs .
COACHING CREDENTIALS
Naturally , falling pregnant has forced this elite running couple to change their plans , but Christiaan jokes that it has actually proven a lucrative time for their careers , and for their recently launched coaching business , Alpas * Fit . “ More people like our posts on social media now that we ’ re pregnant , so we see this as a great marketing opportunity !” But jokes aside , he says they are enjoying putting all their experience to use as coaches . “ People know our reputation as runners , which helps attract new clients , even though we ’ re not advertising that much yet .”
The two are actually still getting used to this new coaching role , given that neither of them foresaw a full-time career in running until recently . As Landie explains , “ I studied to become a chartered accountant and intended to go into the corporate world , but then I discovered this adventurous world of running . Initially I was working and lecturing on top of running , but now that we ’ ve started the coaching business , which is quickly expanding into other things , there just isn ’ t time to get back into full-time work . So that ’ s on hold for now .”
Similarly , Christiaan studied engineering and until recently was working full-time . Then his running really took off , and he also turned pro . “ For years I was always there , taking part and picking up experience , and I always tried to win , but my first year of racing was the year of placing 12 over and over . The second year was about injury , the third year of placing top 10 , and the fourth year I always seemed to finish fourth ! Then I started training with Landie and I think that helped me improve to earning podium positions , and then I was inspired to start winning races .”
RUNNING MATCH
Training together is actually how these two got to know each other in 2008 while at varsity in Pretoria . They first met , briefly , at an adventure racing event in the Magaliesberg , says Landie . “ I was in a team with two friends , while Christiaan was in another team . After the race , we all hung out for a while , but I only spoke to him for about three minutes . A week later I went to a trail race and accidentally drove the wrong way up a one-way road , and suddenly there
Landie and Christiaan tackling the eight-day TransAlps stage race
24 ISSUE 110 SEPTEMBER 2018 / www . modernathlete . co . za