End of journey, start of legacy

HISTORY: JULIAN KARP WINDS DOWN CAREER AFTER CONQUERING 1 000 MARATHONS

- Wesley Botton

In a country with a road running community that is obsessed with marathon and ultramarathon races, Julian Karp has left an indelible mark.

And though he is now winding things down at the back end of his amateur career, he will be remembered as a legend.

Karp made history on Saturday, finishing the Soweto Marathon in 5h 21min 35sec to become the first runner from Africa to complete 1000 marathons.

Paced by close friends who travelled from around South Africa to join him, as well as other running friends, he was surrounded by dozens of people when he crossed the finish line.

"I never imagined it would be like this. It was brilliant," Karp said yesterday after a memorable day in Soweto, with organisers having given him race number 1000 to mark the occasion.

At the age of 65, Karp said he had struggled with a back injury in recent years and hadn't run a marathon since May, focusing instead on shorter races.