to 2019 , usually getting cut off along the way , but in that 2019 run , he actually made it all the way to the finish , but arrived at 12:09:39 , meaning that his wait for a Green Number would be extended once again . |
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Overcoming Challenges
When Eugene missed the cut-off in 2019 , he fully expected to be back in 2020 to try again , but then the COVID pandemic struck and the 2020 and 2021 races were cancelled . He still did his annual Comrades 90km run both years by participating in the virtual races , but it was August 2022 before he would get the chance to go for green again . However , things outside of running were weighing heavily on his mind , and that 2022 race is not a happy memory , for various reasons .
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In 2021 , Eugene ’ s marriage had begun to fall apart , leading at first to a separation , and then finally with the divorce going through in 2022 . It was a really messy affair , says Eugene , and really hit him hard . “ The deceit actually started at the 2019 Comrades , and in the end , I saw former friends turn their backs on me and desert me , stabbing me in the back and talking nonsense about me .” As a result , he found training hard to get through , and only just qualified for Comrades late in the day , by a few seconds , in the new Blouberg Marathon in Cape Town . |
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With a lot on his mind , he then struggled through the race and was cut off at Sherwood , with less than 10km to go . In fact , he was so close to making the cut-off that he practically ran into the smoke from the starter ’ s pistol fired at the cut-off ! “ I was running next to Jaypee Snyman , the guy who helped the woman finish last at this year ’ s Comrades , and we missed the cut-off by just two seconds . That was really , really |
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Images : Courtesy Eugene Lekay |
Eugene ’ s Brackenfell Running Club decided this deserved a special cake ! |
disappointing ,” recalls Eugene . “ Going to Comrades that year felt like I was taking all these problems with me , but I wanted to show them that I wasn ’ t going to just lie down . I don ’ t mind sharing this story now , because I think it can motivate others to know that sometimes your life can fall apart , but that may push you in a different direction . Today I am in a much better space .”
At that time , though , Eugene admits that he was actually not sure he would be back in 2023 to try again , due to the combination of disappointment and hurt , and then finances also proved another challenge . “ I actually didn ’ t have the money to come to this year ’ s Comrades , but I wanted to accomplish the task I had set myself , so I took some money out of my bond , because I felt that if I didn ’ t get it right this year , I wasn ’ t sure I would ever do it ,” he says .
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This Green Number was 25 years in the making !
Long Road to Comrades 23
Having decided to give it one more try , Eugene needed to qualify for this year ’ s race . He missed the Peninsula Marathon in February due to being sick , then picked up an injury , so didn ’ t run the Two Oceans either . Then the substitution process for Comrades opened and Eugene decided to make his entry available , but soon changed his mind . “ Someone told me that the Outeniqua Marathon in George was the last Western Cape qualifier , and even though I didn ’ t know the race , I took a taxi from here to George ,” says Eugene as he begins recounting the tale .
“ I phoned the organisers from the taxi to ask them to reserve a number for me , but when I got to the George Rugby Stadium , it was already nine o ’ clock and they were packing up . I had nowhere to sleep ,
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