Pretoria Runner Qualifies for Her 7th Comrades Then Gets a Cancer Diagnosis That Changes Everything

• Liza Groenewald has been part of Pretoria’s running community for more than two decades and is known for helping fellow runners through tough races
• Brain metastasis from cervical cancer is extremely rare, occurring in fewer than two percent of patients, and carries significant challenges for recovery and treatment
• A crowdfunding campaign to cover Groenewald’s rehabilitation costs raised R49,000 from 44 donors in just 20 days

A Pretoria woman who has spent more than two decades lacing up before sunrise and pushing through kilometre after kilometre on the road is now fighting a far harder race, one without a finish line she can see.

Liza Groenewald, 56, from Pretoria, qualified for her 7th Comrades Marathon in November 2025. Just weeks later, in December 2025, she was diagnosed with cervical cancer. By early 2026, the disease had spread to her brain.

She underwent brain surgery, which left her paralysed on the left side of her body.She is now hospitalised, receiving her second round of cancer treatment. A crowdfunding campaign has been launched to raise R150,000 to support her recovery.

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From the road to the hospital bed

For more than 20 years, Groenewald has been a fixture in Pretoria’s running community. According to information shared with Briefly News, she is the kind of runner who shows up when it is still dark. The kind who slows down to help someone else get through a tough stretch, even if it costs her her own race time.

In November 2025, she qualified to run her 7th Comrades. Completing 10 Comrades earns a runner their green number. This is a permanent race number that belongs to them for life. It is a milestone that runners have spent decades working toward.

Just when the journey seemed close in December 2025, during a hysterectomy, doctors found a growth. It was diagnosed as cervical cancer.

Brain surgery and a fight for movement

By early 2026, the cancer had spread to her brain. Groenewald underwent brain surgery, which left her paralysed on the left side of her body. She is now in the hospital, still in the early stages of recovery, and working through her second round of cancer treatment.

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Once that round is complete, she will move to a rehabilitation centre. There, Liza Groenewald will receive physical rehabilitation. Recovery could take months and even up to a year. During that time, Groenewald will not be able to work.

“She wanted to give up because of the bills piling up”

Her medical aid covers hospitalisation and the core cancer treatment. What it does not cover is everything else. A crowd-fundraising campaign was launched by Zelna Black on BackaBuddy to cover her R150,000 medical bills. In 20 days, 44 donors contributed R49,000.

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Source: Briefly News