Even when excruciating pain was pounding in his knee, he would not stop. Vincent Seng conquered and crossed the finish line at the gruelling Comrades ultramarathon in June 2023. He completed the Comrades in six hours, 44 minutes and 19 seconds and secured a 208th position, making him one of the top performers among City employees who competed in the marathon. It requires strength, dedication and commitment.

“At 33 km, I had to drop my pace due to knee pain, and I started limping. Around 54 km, I started to pick up the pace again up to the finish line,” says Vincent, who is a driver and messenger in Group Corporate and Shared Services (GCSS).

It was his first Comrades, which motivated him to keep running. “I told myself it was my first time, and I had to push through and persevere,” he says. “It was tough, but thanks to everyone who supported me. Thanks to Mrs Pillay, my manager, and everyone who stood behind me.”

Vincent followed a strict diet and sharpened his endurance and speed in preparation for the Comrades. Running in the colours of Bedfordview Athletics Club, he came second in the Edenvale Marathon in February 2023. Shortly after the Comrades, he competed in an 8km race and secured fourth place. 

The QwaQwa-born Vincent has been a runner since childhood. When he was sent to the shops for bread, he’d run and return in a flash. Starting out as a middle-distance runner, he ran from 5 to 21km, representing Gauteng in cross country, track, field, roads and marathons.

Vincent says what he loves most about running is the endurance it tests, just like life. “Running made my life. Talent can take you from where you are to somewhere else and should not be taken for granted.”

He made his mark at the Joburg City Marathon in 2008. Later, he ran a personal best at the Cape Town Marathon and finished sixth overall. In 2015, he won the 50km Loskop Marathon.

Vincent joined the City in 2007 as a contractor and was permanently appointed the following year as a general worker in Community Development. In 2015, he was appointed as a driver in CRUM: Region C, and in 2020, he had a stint as a driver in Group Strategy, Policy Coordination, and Relations before his transfer to GCSS. He is grateful to his wife, Salina, and their two girls and a boy for believing in him and supporting him. The boy takes after his father and loves running, while one of the girls loves soccer.

 

He plans to compete in the Cape Town Marathon in October, the Soweto Marathon in November and focus on cross-country in between seeing that it helps with speed. This year might have been his first with his Comrades, but it certainly won’t be his last. He promises to return in 2024.  “Watch the space!” he says.