Background & History
Christiaan Greyling, Elite Trail Runner, Industrial Engineer with a qualification in Supply Chain and new dad, has been on top of his trail running game since 2015, where he has been on the podium over 60 times. Christiaan and his wife Landie Greyling also started their own online running coaching business, Alpasfit, with the purpose of mentoring and changing people’s lives. They also host trail running workshops and camps across the country on a regular basis.
Christiaan’s major local results include winning:
• Otter African Trail Run
• Ultra Trail Cape Town 100km
• Skyrun 100km
• African X Trailrun
• Table Mountain Challenge
International results:
• Grand Raid Pyranees – France : 2nd
• Riano Trail Run – Spain: 1st
• Transalps 8 day stage race – Europe – 2nd
• Mont Blanc 80k – France – 6th
• World Ultra Trail Championships – 46th & 32nd
Fun facts about Christiaan:
Nickname: Buiteperd (dark horse)
Age: 34
Hometown: Stellenbosch
Current occupation: Engineer
When did you start trail running? Running trails as part of adventure racing since 2008, but started to focus on running in 2012
Favourite race? Sjo, there is a couple, but Otter since I have done it 7 times… also Dodo trail (Mauritius), and Skyrun 100km are amongst the favourites of my career.
Favourite place to train. Definitely Lesotho. Since 2016 we’ve been there 10 times… We love to get lost in those mountains. There is no signal, no shops and only trails!
Any pre-race rituals? Hazz coffee & prayer with my wife Landie.
How many pairs of trail shoes do you own? 10+
Favourite snack on the trail? At 30km a Biogen Coffee Gel, at 80km a very salty chicken veggie soup.
What’s the 1 item of equipment/gear you can’t run without? Garmin Fenix 5xPlus
Best trail moment/proudest trail accomplishment? Winning the Otter trail 42km in 2017
Trail icon/competitor that you look up to? Marc Lauenstein – humble, cool-headed athlete dad and full-time dentist. I can relate mostly to him.
Trail tip for beginners? The only difference between elites and rookies is experience, and experience takes time – be patient and get your experience.