The Comrades marathon occupies a special place in the South African soul. It’s an epic ultra marathon that many runners aspire to complete each year. Three runners have taken on the task of running the distance of 10 Comrades Marathons in 10 consecutive days to raise much needed funds for two South African charities.
The most common question for any runner in South Africa must be “Are you going to run the Comrades?”. Even as you set out as a beginner with your local running club, it won’t be long before the question is put to you. The reason? The Comrades occupies the highest rung in the climbing ladder, it’s the pinnacle, the big one, the ultimate human race, Probably the best of its kind in the world and it’s right here in our own back yard.
Even international runners eye the Comrades and a must do in their running career. An event that must be completed even if only once.
So imagine the overwhelming task of running this event ten times over ten days. Three runners – Hazel Moller, Hilton Murray and Carlo Gibson will be doing exactly this to raise money for Pets in Townships and Pink Drive.
Their journey of 900km will begin on 23 May 2104 from Bedfordview in Johannesburg and follow an 9 stage route down to Pietermaritzburg, finishing the tenth and final stage with the running of the official Comrades Marathon on 1st June 2014.
The Comrades is the yardstick for the daily stages, this is not an official Comrades Marathon event. Although in some ways this is similar to the carrying of the torch in Olympic terms.
They have called their charity drive the Ten10 Challenge and have setup a website – http://www.ten10.co.za. Donations can be made online and messages of support and encouragement can be posted on their Facebook page (facebook.com/tencomrades) or on Twitter (twitter.com/hazel_moller).
Their support team will be posting regular updates to share their experiences as they travel the incredible 900km distance through South Africa.
The challenge has already gained a lot of interest as runners, athletes and nutritionalists follow and discuss the demands of running such long distances each day.
Sponsors are also actively sought to assist with helping with vehicles, food, accommodation and other requirements. A list of requirements is on the website and sponsors would enjoy exposure as the challenge gains coverage in the media.
The runners would be grateful for donations of any amount towards their efforts and look forward to reading all the messages of encouragement.