Easter Saturday and Professor Caspar Greeff, an octogenarian, former actuarial science professor, and at 82 a marathon veteran with 49 years of running experience under his belt, sets off in the 2017 Two Oceans Marathon as the oldest participant from Cape Town running.
Professor Greeff’s daughter, Milnerton resident Michelle Murry, started running 15 years ago. Since then, Michelle’s son, Darryl Murry, and her sister, Karen Brough, have also taken up the sport and were in Africa’s largest marathon this year. The 1st Two Oceans for Karen and 2nd for Darryl.
Michelle, who started running at the age of 40, said she got to know her father better during her first marathon, prompting her to continue over the years; confiding that “We chat a lot, push one another and this has strengthened our relationship.”
Prof. Greeff, with 26 medals in the Two Oceans 56km race and two medals in the 21km half-marathon on his belt, used to run 120km a week until he turned 80 and has since scaled down to 40km each week.
Prof. Greeff recently broke the 10km track record at the Western Province Masters’ Championships. The longest he has ran was 160km – which he did three times, once in Britain and also in a marathon run from East London to Port Alfred.