Originally from Great Britain but now residing in Spain, Lee Grantham is not your average elite runner. With his long wavy hair, Grantham could easily pass as a surfer, but once he laces up his Nike running shoes, Grantham lets his feet do the talking, and the longer he runs, the better he seems to get.
This year Grantham is eyeing out next months Comrades Marathon and will be running in the green dream team colors of the Nedbank running club. It will be the first time Grantham runs the ultimate human race as it is affectingly known as but is not shy when it comes to stating his goals for the race.
“I aim to be just a little ahead of 2nd place so that I can congratulate him when he crosses the line,” says Grantham. With a 2:21 marathon best from the London Marathon as well as a 6:42 100km, Grantham has both the mix of speed and strength that could take him a long way in the trek between Durban and Pietermaritzburg.
After running track and field, captaining the cricket and chess teams at school, Grantham re-started running 9 years ago basically from zero. “My second race was an ultra marathon and I got hooked by the community, the challenge and competition. I told my girlfriend at the time that I wanted to become a professional runner, and she laughed and told me I was too fat (muscular). When I got my first Great Britain vest, she sent me a message saying, "What took you so long?" laughs Grantham.
When asked what attracted Grantham to the Comrades Marathon, his answer was simple, “I love races with history and its like you’re not only competing against others on the day, but everyone else who has run the race since it started in 1921. A lot has happened and changed since then like World Wars, Vaporfly 4%, we landed men on Saturn, and now the Next% (running shoe) which I'll be running in but still Comrades prevails as the biggest and best in the World. There's something very special about following in the footsteps of Bruce Fordyce, Alberto Salazar and other great athletes who have come before us.
With it being an up run this year, Grantham smiles at the thought of the tough climbs to Pietermaritzburg which has no fewer than the big 5 hills which includes the notorious Polly Shorts which runners encounter with 10km to go. “The uphill’s are easy, the secret for anyone running this year is to lean back so that your torso is perpendicular to the road surface. With this in mind, it's a flat race,” says Grantham.
Having represented Great Britain in last years World 100km championships and recently being named in the team for the 50km World Championships later this year, Grantham views the Comrades Marathon as the mecca of ultras. “To win Comrades would be like winning the World Championships and cementing yourself as one of the best ultra marathoners ever in the World.” On 9 June all eyes will be on the lookout for the long wavy blond hair of Grantham, as together with his Nedbank green dream team teammates, will be looking to dominate the top 10 in this years race.