A marathon legacy: Barry Holland’s 50th Comrades triumph

Ultra-distance runner Barry Holland during last year’s Comrades Marathon. Picture: Comrades Marathon Association

No matter who you are, elite runner or weekend wobbler, when you line up for your first Comrades Marathon, there will be nerves and varying degrees of fear: Will I achieve my goal time? Will I finish? Those thoughts will, no doubt, be going through the head of Barry Holland next month, as he prepares to be the first person to finish 50 Comrades races.

After he does, at the age of 72, he will hang up his running shoes – at least his Comrades ones – for good, he says.His first start was in 1973, and in the 50 years since then, he hasn’t missed one race. For a youngster who once thought running was “a ridiculous sport”, Holland went on to collect 22 silver medals for finishing in less than seven-and-half hours.

Holland will be joined on Comrades race day by two of his daughters, a son, a son-in-law, a nephew and his wife, Debbie, who will run the race for the 21st time, as they aim to extend their record for the most finishes by a married couple – which currently stands at 69.

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