Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 153 October 2022 | Page 39

LEADING COMRADES
Colin Goosen ( right ) receives his Quadruple Green from Louis Massyn
Pre-race warm-up jog for Pat Fisher and Louis Massyn

MULTIPLE GREENS RETURN

The list of finishers included a number of notable performances , including Barry Holland becoming the all-time leading Comrades finisher when he crossed the line to claim his 48th medal . The other runner on 47 medals , Louis Massyn , was told by his doctor not to run due to a knee injury , but was still on hand to support and hand out Green Numbers at the finish .
Other finishers amongst the Quadruple Greens – those with 40 or more medals to their name – saw Vic Boston move up to 44 medals , while Wietsche van der Westhuizen and four-time winner Alan Robb each advanced to 43 medals . Notably , it was Robb ’ s first Comrades in six years , after overcoming an injury that had looked to put an end to his illustrious Comrades career . Furthermore , David Williams moved up to 42 medals , but Mike Cowling was unfortunately not able to add to his tally of 42 .
Remarkably , all five of the Quadruple Green finishers crossed the line within nine minutes of each other , between Holland ’ s 11:42:55 and Boston ’ s 10:51:40 . Earlier , Colin Goosen became the 18th member of the Quadruple Green club , crossing the line in a sprightly 9:59:50 . He is best remembered for crawling over the line in 1981 to claim the 10th and final gold medal that year , and had also overcome injury to return to the race this year , which he ran with two daughters and a son as they joined in the celebration of his 40th finish .
Amongst the leading female finishers , Kleintjie van Schalkwyk remain outright leader with 34 medals , but her lead was cut a little this year by Patricia Fisher finishing her 32nd Comrades , while Pat Freeman earned a 31st medal . Toni Hesp became just the sixth woman to earn a Triple Green when she came home in 11:17:19 .
Barry Holland with clubmate Warwick Taylor
LEADING COMRADES
The lists of all-time leading finishers of the Comrades Marathon , comprising men with 40 or more medals , and women with 30 or more , grew by two more members this year . ( Runners marked in bold completed the 2022 race )
Quadruple Green Men ( 18 ) 48 Barry Holland 47 Louis Massyn , 45 Dave Rogers 44 Vic Boston 43 Alan Robb 43 Wietsche van der Westhuizen 42 Clive Crawley 42 Dave Lowe 42 Zwelitsha Gono 42 Mike Cowling 42 David Williams 41 Tommy Neitski 40 Kenny Craig 40 Riël Hugo 40 Boysie van Staden 40 Shaun Wood 40 Johan van Eeden 40 Colin Goosen
Triple Green Women ( 6 ) 34 Kleintjie van Schalkwyk 32 Patricia Fisher 31 Pat Freeman 30 Tilda Tearle 30 Kim Pain 30 Toni Hesp
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