By all accounts, Albe Geldenhuys' maiden Comrades Marathon performance was the perfect debut. Having studied the split times of the top contenders prior to the 1996 edition, Albe reckoned that a sub-5hr55 performance would virtually guarantee a top ten finish. Be it the “up” or “down” versions of the famous slog in KwaZulu-Natal, five minutes under six hours would underline the Pretoria athlete's arrival as an elite ultra-marathon contender and earn him a coveted gold medal. And he did just that. Well, almost.
'My first Comrades went really well,' he says. 'My preparation was spot on, as did the race. I had won the Long Tom Marathon earlier that year and was confident of my chances. In the end, I finished in a great 5:54. But 1996 was the first year that the Russian athletes took the race by storm and so I only finished 21st.
By then over 30 years of age, Albe was entering his prime as an ultra endurance athlete. He would eventually earn not one but two gold medals at The Ultimate Human Race, along with a multitude of top-15 places. His journey to Comrades glory, though, was not exactly conventional. But then Albe Geldenhuys is not your typical athlete.
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Situated in southwestern France, Cahors is a town that is described as ancient. Medieval structures and architecture are still prominent and it is one of several towns that the river Lot meanders through on its westward journey. Cahors was also home to one Albe Geldenhuys for a few months each year in the early 1990s. Which begs the question: what the heck was a future Comrades contender doing in the Occitanie Region some thirty years ago?
'I actually come from a triathlon background,' explains Albe. 'I got into the sport during my national service on the encouragement of a friend who had done the old Durban Ultra Triathlon a few times. I liked the combination of the three disciplines and ended up doing two events in my first season, one in Bloemfontein and the other in Springs. Triathlon was an emerging sport and I just kept improving so it became my primary focus for several years after.'
Already a decent runner, Albe quickly took to cycling. And while his swimming was respectable, the emergence of the canoe triathlon scene further suited his skill set thanks to the more aerobic nature of the paddling discipline.
'I would lose less time in the canoe leg of a race than I would in the swim,' he says. 'So I had some early success in canoe triathlons, which were a big thing when I started. But I kept up my swimming and was one of the few guys who did both types of triathlons. In fact, because many of the races on the Highveld offered both a swim and canoe option, I would pack both my canoe and wetsuit and only decide which race to do upon arrival. So while I never really specialised, the combination of the two suited me.'
For a guy who did both forms of triathlon, how did he manage to juggle the training required for four disciplines? And was he coached?
'I was one of those guys who trained a lot,' he remembers. 'And I was studying through UNISA at the time so I only had monthly assignments to worry about, as well as some part time work. My plan was to swim and cycle in the mornings, work and study over lunchtimes and early afternoons, and then paddle and run into the evenings. In fact, I regularly clocked forty hour training weeks.
'There was no such thing as triathlon coaching back then,' he continues. 'Much of what we did was based on volume and learning from older athletes. I also read a lot and applied various things into my training that I thought was of value. So I was always self-coached, even later when I focussed on Comrades, which I think can be a good thing because you learn a lot about yourself.'
Albe's student days also permitted overseas travel and competition at a time when South Africa was re-entering the international sporting fold. In fact, he was part of one the early groups of South African triathletes living and racing in France, which included a young Conrad Stoltz.
'I travelled to the 1992 World Duathlon Championships with Conrad and we then caught the train down to Cahors to race for a club there. The group that first year included Kevin Richards, Wilfred Hurwitz and Pieter Uys. It was a fantastic time. They focussed on the Olympic distance while I did the longer stuff. And it showed in our swim training when they went to train in the local pool while I just swam in the Lot river.'
Albe would return to Cahors for another two years before calling time on his triathlon career. Despite winning three consecutive Durban Ultra Triathlons and podiuming at the Italian Championships, he figured it was time to move on owing to the practicalities of life.
'I probably stopped triathlon too early but there was no money in the sport. I couldn't really afford to continue. I had finished my BComm degree and was approaching my thirties; it was time to start settling down and pursuing a career. But because running was my strength and longer events suited me, I decided to pursue Comrades. And put it this way, if you are running 12-15 hours a week, you are running a lot and can still work full time.'
Taking a sales representative position with Reebok, Albe now based his elite athletic pursuits around family and work. Early morning training predominated as his previous forty hour training weeks were replaced by the equivalent time working. But he thrived in his new environment and just like his triathlon career was self-directed.
'I would normally only call on customers from 9am so most of my running was done well before that,' he says. 'And when I had to travel further afield I'd just take my running kit and train wherever I was. Bruce Fordyce's book "Comrades" was the basis of my training. I took the basic principles of Bruce's approach and applied them to my own lifestyle and schedule. For instance, I rarely ran twice a day as there wasn't enough time for that. And I did my key sessions on days that were slightly different to those that Bruce outlines. In the end, I managed to get two gold medals, one in the "up" and the other in the "down" run. There were others years where I was close and some that I felt I was in better shape, I'm happy with what I achieved and certainly have no regrets.'
These days, Albe calls Cape Town home and leads a busy life juggling family with directing Le Coq Sportif South Africa. Deepsea fishing is one of his primary passions as is helping his daughter Mila pursue her own running goals. And he is still active, although not as much as he was up until 2007. His goals have changed, as he explains.
'I average a couple of runs and downwind surfski paddles per week. Just for basic fitness and strength. Yesterday I went for my first 10km run in what must be a decade. And I'll often cycle next to my daughter Mila when she is doing her long runs. You've got to stay fit and strong for tuna fishing after all!'
