'I spent four years studying and running in the United States,' he says. 'As part of the NCAA system, my focus was on track and cross country. The combination of training and competing at that level, as well as studying was intense. Despite the workload, both of the universities I attended went out of their way to make our lives as comfortable as possible. It certainly was a great experience.'
Arriving Stateside as an 800m athlete, George quickly moved up to the 1500m and 5000m distances while attending the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Respective personal best times of 3:37 and 13:28 ensued while Malalane-born George worked towards a degree in Actuarial Sciences and Statistics. His final year was disappointing, though, at least from an athletic standpoint.
'I contracted mononucleosis and just felt so fatigued all of the time. As a result, my performances on the track and in cross country weren't up to my usual standards. But I managed to graduate from Nebraska and ended up running well enough to gain acceptance to Northern Arizona University for a master's degree.'
Arriving at the much-vaunted NAU was a major breakthrough for George. Academics aside, NAU's distance running program is one of the best in the country and was, at that stage, still under the tutelage of highly respected Mike Smith. George thrived both athletically and academically during his year-long stint with the "Lumberjacks", crediting Smith with his progress on the track.
'Mike Smith really is a coach apart. He is so well-read, not only in running terms, but also life in general. He has excellent inter-personal skills and is an exceptional motivator. He really got the best out of me.'
Yet despite being an integral part of the team, as well as gaining his master's degree in Statistics, George admits to falling short of his ultimate goal.
'I wasn't able to get a professional running contract,' he explains. 'So, with that in mind as well as losing my eligibility to remain in the US, I decided to return home to South Africa and knuckle down to "real life". I actually stopped running completely for almost a year and gained quite a bit of weight.'
Back in South Africa, George transitioned from high level athlete and top student to your normal "eight-to-five" kind of guy. By now married and working full-time as a data analyst, it seemed that he was a world away from speeding around a tartan track in pursuit of peak fitness. But the pure joy and simplicity of running just wouldn't leave his subconscious – it gnawed away at him, so much so that he decided to make a comeback of sorts in 2024.
'I was curious to see what I could do on the road. Plus, I had to adjust to fitting in training and racing around work and family. I actually contacted Nick Bester around this time explaining that I had run quite well in the US and was looking for some support for the SA running scene. Nick didn't know me but was very open-minded and welcomed me into the Nedbank Running Club. His belief in me and support has made a huge difference. So, things started coming together and I've been enjoying working towards achieving various goals along the way.'
And achieve he most certainly has. With a sub-29min 10km and a 65min half marathon under his belt in early 2024, George had his eye on making his standard marathon debut later that year. Lining up for the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, he goes on to explain that while his objectives were twofold, getting to the start line had proved a little more challenging than initially anticipated.
'I chose the Cape Town Marathon purely to qualify for Comrades. My aim was to run consistently and finish in 2hr20, which I was very happy to achieve in the end. But the lead up to the race was a little difficult. My foot got infected from bad blisters after the rain-soaked SA Half Marathon Championships in July. So, I battled with that for a while. That actually sapped my motivation, and I got a bit lazy, but I managed to turn things around focusing on a buildup of predominantly easy base miles with only a few real speedwork sessions.'
Juggling elite level training around a fulltime job and family commitments can't be easy. Which begs the question – when and how exactly does George do it all?
'Lots of early mornings,' he says. 'I'm self-coached, which I really enjoy. The hard part is actually doing the training that I set myself. So, there are a lot of 4:30am or 5am starts. But I like the solitude of the training, which I actually keep pretty simple by following Mike Smith's weekly template. It's obviously adapted to the rigors of Comrades but follows pretty much the same rhythm of two quality sessions, two easy runs, two tong runs and one rest day.
'But I've certainly learnt a few things in preparing for Comrades 2025. For example, I now realize that I'm better off focusing on more hill work instead of a session of 4x5km repeats. The Comrades Marathon requires strong legs.'
