Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 68, March 2015 | Página 20

Ma Living Legend

The Wright Way
With an incredible track record in ultras and circuit racing, Eric Wright is one of
SA’s running greats – and not too shabby at putting on a great event, too.
– BY LAUREN VAN DER VYVER

Back in the day, at the Korkie ultra with
clubmate Maurice Archer

Bracing the cold in
a six-day race in
Hungary

Getting into it

R

un a few circuit races and you soon learn that there’s a lot more to winning
than just plodding around a track for days on end – like tricking your opponents into
thinking that you’re tired, says 59-year-old multiple circuit racing champ Eric Wright,
who holds the SA record for the fastest time to reach 1000km in a single event. “I
remember as a runner having to think about beating your rival, going into the tent to
switch off the lights, pretending to sleep, but we’d be running on the spot until they
headed to bed, then we’d be on again. You have to be clever!”
These days Eric is more often organiser than runner when it comes to circuit races,
thanks to being the man behind the Johannesburg Running Festival in December,
ably assisted by his wife and long-time second in races, Marlene. Their event
comprises of six-day, 48-hour, 24-hour and 12-hour options, and Eric says it simply
doesn’t work to organise and compete at the same time. “I tried it once and lost
two hours on my competition while having to set-up mats on a slippery field. As an
organiser, you only get in three hours of sleep a night.” Hosted at Northview High
School, Eric adds that he is thrilled to see the event growing each year. “We had
85 runners at the new venue and we’re even getting in international guys.” (That
included two hungry Australians who ordered a loaf of bread each from the kitchen
after dinner!)
Runner turned race director,
alongside his wife Marlene

After playing soccer for Edenvale up till 1977, Eric followed his older brother into
running when he did his first race in a 16km in Germiston in 1978. His brother was
running the Comrades that year, so Eric decided to also give it a try, coming home
in 7:55 in his first Big C. “Then in 1988, we had our first go at a 100 Miler at the
Washie,” and that was when Eric realised he had a real talent for the longer ultra
distances as he finished seventh in his first attempt at racing 160km. And by 1995,
the idea of running for several consecutive days had become the natural progression.
“Back then there were six-day events overseas, but they were considered a walking
thing. So when George Archer organised a 10-day running circuit race, it was all
new, and reaching 1000km in 10 days seemed laughable!” says Eric. “About 12 guys
competed, running around a container depot in the south of Jo’burg, and I came third,
hitting 702km.” From then on Eric used the Comrades as training for the Washie, which
in turn was training for his main goal, circuit racing, and in 1996 he won George’s
event. The following year he claimed a silver medal at Comrades in 7:26, clocked
814km in six days for a new SA and African record, and scooped the win at Washie in
15:57. “Then in 2010, at the 10-day at Ruimsig, I ran 1000km in seven days and 13
hours, which is still a national record today.”

Loyal support

With more than 50 100-Milers, 33 Comrades (including four silvers and a 7:22 PB)
and 24 Washies to his name, Eric is quick to point out that his success is largely
thanks to his wife’s loyal seconding. “In the early days, there were no water points
in races, so Marlene carried a bucket of water and sponges!” In circuit events, she
would also monitor him closely. “She knows when to eat and if I need rest, and we
had a rule that if I ran slower than eight minutes a kilometre, I’d come off to rest.”
She’d also track three charts while Eric was running – one for him and one each for
the runners behind and in front of him.
Having taken six months off running in 2014, Eric says he is planning to take on the
Om Die Dam, Loskop and Comrades ultras in 2015. Also, with a 60th birthday on 11
March, he is looking to add some grandmaster records to his list of achievements,
including a 25th Washie. “I still love my running, and the thing about the lo