How I Won The Otter Trail!


Mike Finch |

The 2017 race champ and South African course record-holder Christiaan Greyling shares the hard-won secrets of his success.By Christiaan Greyling

I first considered running The Otter in under five hours when I fell in love with trail-running during a 120km backpacking trip, which I did with my then-fiancée [top athlete Landie Greyling, now Christiaan’s wife] on the Appalachian Trail over three days in 2011. But my first major ultra back on SA soil, the Amatola Trail, turned out to be a disaster. My limits were stretched too far, and I bailed after the second day, having run 45km in 9:27. I even resorted to using a tree branch as a hiking pole; and my mates, who had to wait three hours for me, called me ‘The Hunchback of Hogsback’. Breaking five hours wasn’t going to be easy; but I believed I could do it. Here’s how…

1. I started young

There are many theories about where talent comes from – for example, 10 000 hours of practice, being an ‘outlier’. But I believe that the best way to develop a skill or craft is to be exposed to it from a young age. I grew up on my parents’ farm, where I spent hours on the surrounding trails: playing, running, fishing, rock-hopping and swimming. I would say the routes matched the technicality of The Otter. Without even being aware of it, I was developing a special skill set, and a love of running on technical trails.

That rule about 10 000 hours of practice does appeal to me, though. It means ‘success’ isn’t genetic, socio-economic or generational. It’s not even about where you came from or who you know; rather, it’s measured by how many hours you log, perfecting your craft.

Images of Christiaan Greyling when he was growing up, taken by his mom.
Images of Christiaan Greyling when he was growing up, taken by his mom.

2. I had experience of the route

In 2011, I ran my first Otter in 5:26; and in 2012 I came in just short, in 5:04. The following year I raised the bar, aiming well below five hours. It took weeks of planning, analysing the GPS tracks of former champions and training with Landie, to finish in 4:40 – in 12th position, and just two minutes shy of the record set by Ryan Sandes in 2011. My times only got better: 4:35 in 2014, and in 2016 I ran it in 4:19.45, coming in third and setting the course record on the Retto [the reverse Otter, run from west to east].

3. I had words of encouragement

In the three months leading up to the race, athlete and friend Roelie Feenstra and I had long Skype conversations, in which we visualised our race down to the last detail. Roelie worked harder towards his race than I did, but sadly he couldn’t take part, due to illness. When he returned from casualty he said, short and simple: “Gaan wen net die ding vir my part!”. I believe his words of encouragement carried me to victory.

Landie also couldn’t compete in this year’s race, because she got sick. Landie and I travel the world together, running in places we’ve never been to before. We’ve given up the security of our salaries – we even sold our car – to live out of a suitcase. But every time we run in a new place and meet new people, we are reassured we’ve made the right decision, to follow our passion. I’ve also learned so much from Landie’s dedication and strong mind.

“Make sure you’re first on the trail, stay in front for as long as you can, never look back, and give it everything,” she advised me.

JACQUES MARAIS1

Race Day

This year, everything came together: I trusted in my instinct and my preparation, and ran a race of no regret. It was a privilege to race against Kane Reilly to Ngubu Hut and witness his incredible speed – even over those technical rocks! Thabang Madiba’s ability to run up all the climbs left me awestruck. I had never seen the Bloukrans so deep, and swam for dear life (I later learned I could’ve stood up in it, if I’d wanted to…). I sprinted as if Rory Scheffer was chasing me on the flats between Andre Hut and the gate. And I was surprised Robbie Rorich didn’t overtake me (he finished in 3rd position, in 4:27), because this guy could’ve run sub-four.

I crossed the finish line in 4:13.16, which is the fastest time ever run by a South African athlete.

I’d always wondered whether champions feel obliged to hold their arms up in the air when they succeed. But crossing that famous floating bridge that leads to the finishing line, I experienced first-hand that it happens naturally – out of pure joy and excitement!

Click Here For The 15 Best Shots From The 2017 Otter Trail.

READ MORE ON: Christiaan Greyling kane reilly Landie Greyling Otter Trail Thabang Madiba trail-running trail-running-race western-cape

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