Prominent Hollywood Athletics Club social runner Siyanda Gebashe says his dream is to compete at all six World Major Marathons in the next three years.
The Six races that make up the Abbot World Marathon Major series include New York, Berlin, London, Chicago, Boston and Tokyo Marathons. Recently, Sydney met all of the criteria to become the seventh Major on the list with Cape Town and Shanghai still working on gaining Major status.
Gebashe has already completed three on the list (Berlin, Chicago and Boston) on his journey to fulfil his dream. The 40-year-old, who hails from Esikhawini, in Empangeni may be seen as a veteran in running but he only ignited his love for the sport after turning his back on football, switching to the road after picking up too many injuries on the soccer field.
“The love for running stems from my primary school days. I was good at cross country but I ended up stopping in high school as I needed to focus more on my academics. My marks needed improving,” he shared.
“So I took all the energy to focus on my studies. I ended up playing football later on. Sadly, I was always picking up injuries. So I decided to go back to running. In 2017, I did the Ntenga Foundation 10km. My second race was the Mandela Marathon which I did in 04:11. Since then I’ve never looked back,” he said.
His introduction to International Marathons was through his friend, Walter Mkhwanazi. The duo went to Turkey to participate in the Istanbul Marathon. And it was this trip that ignited a newfound passion for travel and racing.
“My first international race was the Istanbul Marathon in 2018. My friend, who introduced me to international racing, and I ran the race which I finished in 03:01:25,” he said.
“After that, I was hungry for more. We started planning to run the Majors which back then consisted of six races (Berlin, London, New York, Boston, Chicago and Tokyo). My first Major Marathon was Berlin in 2019, then in 2022 I completed the Boston Marathon. In 2024 I ran Chicago. I’m currently halfway to achieving my six World Marathon Majors. I will be doing the London Marathon next year as my fourth Major. Once that’s done, the planning for Tokyo and New York will begin,” he enthused.
“The crowds at these races makes you hungry for more. There are tons of people supporting you from start to finish, cheering you on every step of the way,” he explained.
Now with five Comrades Marathons to his name, with a best time being 06:59 obtained in the 2023 down run. The Hillcrest resident has shown that he can run faster too, clocking an excellent 02:48 lifetime best time over the standard marathon distance at Chicago last year. He says running an overseas race requires proper planning.
“I think people must not think it expensive to run overseas. There are races like the Bangkok Marathon in which entry costs less then R1 000. The only challenge is the flight and accommodation. Your planning therefore becomes very important. I obtained an entry to London through their charity program and I need to raise 500 Pounds by March. I have already raised 250 pounds to make things easier for me. The next step is to get my visa. It’s all about gathering the right information,” he concluded.
