Legacy is not built in isolation. It is built in the slipstream of those who came before us. My journey toward the Comrades Green Number—awarded for 10 finishes—is inextricably linked to the greatest legend the race has ever known: Wally Hayward.
Wally Hayward wasn't just a winner; he was a titan. He won Comrades five times and achieved the impossible: running the race in six different decades. His final finish in 1989 at age 80 made him the oldest finisher in the world at the time.
That same year, 1989, as Wally was crossing his final finish line at 80, I was crossing my first at age 21. As I ran into the stadium, the crowd erupted into a thunderous Mexican Wave. In the exhilaration of my first 90km finish, I thought the applause was for me—the 21-year-old debutant.
I didn't realize that a mere 100 meters behind me, the great Wally Hayward was finishing the final kilometer of his legendary career. Ten years later, I stood before Wally once again to receive the famous 'Green Number Club single laurel wreath.' Having finished 10 consecutive Comrades Marathons by the age of 30, I became the youngest woman in the world to achieve that feat.
As Wally handed me the wreath, I finally told him the story of the Mexican Wave ten years earlier. We shared a laugh that echoed across decades of endurance history.
Ferocity isn't just about speed. It's about being the person who continues, year after year, until the debut becomes the legacy.
Lara Kaplan
Kilometer 70 Blog™
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