NINETY CHALLENGES FOR EVERGREEN SONJA LAXTON

Port Elizabeth, South Africa – Sonja Laxton, who has been breaking records on the track and on the road almost all her life, set another record on Saturday when she ran her 90th SPAR 10km Challenge.
What makes her achievement even more remarkable is that two and a half years ago, Laxton was in intensive care, fighting for her life, after a horrific accident in which she suffered multiple fractures. At the time, it was thought she might never walk again, let alone run.
“It was a lot of fun,” said Laxton, who was the third Grandmaster home, in 49.43 minutes.
“The wind was really pumping, but I really enjoyed the race. The Port Elizabeth race is always special to me. I was at school here, and I had some very happy years in PE. I am very biased towards the Friendly City – I even feel I breathe better here than in Cape Town or Durban, although they are all at sea level.
“The first race I ran after my accident was in Port Elizabeth, so that was also something special.”
Laxton said it seemed a very short time ago that she had run her 80th SPAR race at the Wanderers in 2013.
“It goes quite fast,” she said.
“I would like to go on to get my century – I feel like a cricketer, in the nervous nineties. But if I run four or five races a year, I should get there.”
There was a time when Laxton was always the top runner in her category, but she has slowed down in the last couple of years, and can no longer claim to be the fastest in her age group.
“That doesn’t worry me,” she said.
“I think it might have, before the accident. But my perspective has changed since then, and I just feel privileged to be able to run. I certainly hope to keep on running as long as I can.”