Old Mutual Soweto Marathon Entries Extended!

The Old Mutual Soweto Marathon has extended the submission deadline for all three race day categories to this year’s race, the Soweto Marathon Trust said today.

“Owing to a large number of requests and last-minute enquiries that we have received from both athletes as well as the interested public, we have decided to extend the deadline from midnight Monday, 5 September to the same time on Tuesday, 4 October 2016.

We urge anyone wanting to partake in any of the categories (42.2km, 21.1km or 10km) to register online before the revised closing date as under no circumstances will any extensions be granted thereafter,” said the Chairman of the Soweto Marathon Trust Sello Khunou.

Now in its 23rd edition, the race fondly known as ‘The People’s Race’ was born out of the need to encourage South African’s to celebrate the country’s history, it’s people and its traditions offer a great opportunity for even the casual runner to enjoy the 10km run come Sunday, 6 November 2016.

Race registration can be done online at www.sowetomarathon.com. For more information visit www.sowetomarathon.com or email info@sowetomarathon.com. Our call centre numbers are 0619171001 and 0619181002. The call centre operating hours are from Monday to Friday from 9am to 4pm.

For alternative information, please contact Caroline Malan caroline@theprmachine.co.za.

Modern Athlete R18 Subscription

Digital is great, but sometimes you just cannot go without the feeling of a real magazine in your hand. Take a look at this amazing offer that we have for you!

Get your very own October issue of Modern Athlete Magazine, together with the 2017 Comrades Marathon Training Guide for FREE, and for every month thereafter pay only R18 per month on a debit order basis.

Yip, that's right folks. No long-term contract. Simply subscribe and we’ll get your first copy to you pronto!

 

Half Price Tuesdays on Huddle Trails!

The beautiful trails at Huddle Park in Linksfield Road, Edenvale, Johannesburg, are open seven days a week and accommodate runners, walkers and mountain bikers of all abilities! These trails were developed by Modern Athlete and Modern Cyclist in conjunction with DirtLab, and are open from 6:30am to 5pm every day, at a daily use fee of R40.
 
Now, for the month of September, Modern Athlete has a special offer for you!
 
Runners and riders will be able to use the trails every day as usual, but on Tuesday evenings will be able to use the trails for an extended time from 5pm to 9pm, for a half-price fee of just R20. So bring your headlamps and enjoy some incredible night running or riding.
 
Day passes for mountain biking or running are processed at the Golf Shop at Huddle Park. Children under the age of 12 qualify for a reduced rate, but must be accompanied by an adult. We also have a Kids and adult pump tracks as well as a bike cleaning station. Walkers can currently enjoy a big walking space to the right as you enter the parking lot.
 
There are a couple of house-keeping rules to remember, please:
Cyclists must wear helmets.
Dogs on a leash are welcome and can enjoy a drink of water at our Club House Restaurant after a walk. However, please remember to clean up after your dogs.
No picnicking is allowed and food and beverages cannot be brought in for consumption on the premises.
All users of the trails must sign an indemnity form.
 
So, see you on the trails at Huddle!

Athletes Excel in Rio!

Fans at the Olympic Stadium in Rio are in a dream world and have been afforded the chance to see the fastest men in the world in the 100m, 200m, 400m and 800m in the same Olympic Games. 24-year-old Wayde van Niekerk of South Africa stunned the world by running 43.03 seconds on his way to 400m gold on Sunday night.

Wayde bagged his gold medal shortly before Bolt grabbed the 100m title. Wayde's incredible sprint bettered the 17-year-old mark of 43.18 set by American sprinting legend Michael Johnson. The South African athlete left pre-race favourite LeShawn Merritt (who won bronze) of the USA and defending champion Kirani James (silver) of Grenada in his wake.

American legend Michael Johnson was present as a media commentator and looked shocked that his long-standing mark had been bettered. Wayde celebrated his 400m world record at the Rio Olympic Stadium in Rio alongside Usain Blot.

Usain Bolt cut short his TV interview with American TV broadcasters NBC to congratulate Wayde van Niekerk on his 400m world record run. A gesture that shows true sportsmanship and a great sense of friendship between two athletes.

Usain Bolt's unique Olympic Games 'triple triple' bid began with his blistering 100m final. Next up is the 200m. The fastest man on the planet and the current holder of the world records in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay is attempting to pull off an unsuspected 'triple triple' in Rio. 

By defending his titles in all of these events, Usain Blot will cement his name in the history books as the greatest sprinter the world has ever seen. Bolt completed the first part of the bid with his win in the 100m on Sunday, 14 August 2016.

He won in a time of 9.81 seconds and was followed by Justin Gatlin of the USA and Andre de Grasse of Canada who finished third. Bolt's 200m campaign began on Tuesday, 16 August 2016 when he cruised through his 200m heats and earned his spot in the semi-finals set to start today.

Bolt said he wants to break his world record in this event and dip under the 19 second mark. Can he do it? The answer will come tomorrow as the 200m final is set to take place at 10:30pm, Rio time. “I think that if I can get a good night's rest after the semi-finals, it is possible for me to do it. I’m going to have to leave it all on the track and do the best I possibly can,” said Bolt.

Four runners have gone quicker than Bolt over the 200m distance this season. Heading the list is Lashawn Merritt of the USA, who shocked the athletics community with an incredible 19.74 earlier this year at the US Olympic trials in Eugene on 8 July.

100m silver medallist Justin Gatlin of the USA clocked 19.75 last month. The closest Bolt has come to his 2009 record is the 19.32 four years ago when he won the gold at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Can he do it again? Everything will be revealed tomorrow morning!

Following the heroics of Wayde van Niekerk and Usain Bolt, David Rudisha of Kenya obliterated the men's 800m field as he took top spot in the event. Competing at his first Olympic Games, David ran a staggering time of 1:40:91 in the 800m final at London 2012 to supersede Wilson Kipketer's previous mark of 1:41:11.

This was the only athletics world record at the London Games and David successfully defended his title in Rio on Monday, 15 August 2016 at the Olympic Stadium in a time of 1:42:15. David had his eye on the final the whole time and he defended his gold medal successfully.

News of the Week

If there is any truth in the saying ‘big surprises come in small packages’, then Lebogang Shange’s performance in the 20km race walk tonight at the Olympic Games in Rio should be worth watching.
 
Lebogang from High Performance Centre (HPC), in Pretoria weighs only 56 kilograms and is 1.60 metres tall, but he compensates with guts and determination for his lack in physical stature and has a totally fearless approach to international racing.
 
Chris Britz (TUKS Coach) is of the opinion that if Shange should come close to doing a repeat of his best time of 1:20:06 tonight, he could finish in the top five. Depending on how tactical the race turns out to be, the South African might even be in contention to win a bronze medal.
 
Chris thinks the temperature will probably rise to only about 26 degrees with the humidity being around 80. If this should be the case, it may slightly favour Lebogang. Because it is the Olympics, Chris does not expect the athletes to race for a fast time.
 
“It will be all about winning a medal, which means it will be a tactical race. I expect the winning time to be round about 1 hour 19 minutes.” In spite of being an Olympic novice, Lebogang is not one to walk just to make up the numbers.
 
“I won’t lie. There can be no greater honour than winning a medal for my country at an Olympic Games. For me that would definitely be the ultimate. If I should manage to do that, South Africans would hopefully begin to consider walking as a serious sport,” said the HPC athlete.
 
According to Lebogang, it will be important to stick to his own game plan. “I am going to race aggressively and stick with the race leaders, but I have to be careful not to start off at a too fast pace. If I do that I might end up paying for it later when the real racing begins.”
 
Last year’s Spanish world champion Miguel Angel Lopez will resume his rivalry with China’s Olympic champion, Chen Ding, tonight. Wang Zhen and Cai Zelin, also from China, will be the other race walkers to watch.
 
It was the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, and in particular Jared Tallent’s double medal haul in both the 20km and 50km events, that first inspired the 25-year-old Lebogang to have a go at the discipline.
 
“Because I am slightly ‘lazy’ by nature watching the race intrigued me. It looked so easy, almost like a walk in the park, and it was hard to believe that it was an Olympic Sport. So I started walking, but I soon realized that there is more to race walking than meets the eye. I then started reading up about it on the internet. I also tried to meet up with as many other race walkers and pick their brains, trying to find out how I should go about walking faster times.”
 
Lebogang’s keenness to learn has led to him improving the SA 20km race walk record on three occasions during the last 14 months. He also set records in the 3000m, 10000m and 20000m.

Who’s Heading for Rio?

With the final names of Team SA for the Rio Olympics in August set to be announced soon, SA’s top athletes are chasing qualifying marks at local and international meets and events. Here are a few who have recently put their hands up for inclusion in the team. – BY SEAN FALCONER

No Cramping Irv’s Style

In spite of bitterly cold conditions that left her feet numb for the first 15km of the London Marathon in April, Irvette van Zyl was able to post a fast 2:32:20 to make her the fastest female marathoner inside the 2:45 Olympic qualifying criteria set by SASCOC and put her in pole position for selection for Rio. She also had to overcome the obstacle of being in the process of recovering from a stomach bug the week before, and then missed her personal drink at 25km, meaning she ran without any hydration from 20km to 30km and suffered cramping in both her stomach and legs, making the last 12km very hard. With the leg cramps I knew that if even stopped for any period of time, it would have been extremely hard to get going again, so I really had to hang in there. Let’s just say I was really pleased to get to the finish line,” she said.

Lebo Adds Her Name

Hot on the heels of Irvette van Zyl’s 2:32:20 in London came news that Lebo Phalula ran 2:33:48 in just her second marathon, at the Enschede Marathon in the Netherlands. Lebo’s time is not just a PB by just over five minutes, but is just five seconds slower than Christine Kalmer’s 2:33:43 (run in Valencia, Spain late last year), and thus puts her third on the list of fastest qualifiers and provisionally on the plane to Rio. “When the girls left me running alone at 16km, I just told myself I have to be strong and run my race with my own splits, which was easy. My first aim was to finish the race and all went according my plans,” she said.

Lynique Leaping for Joy

Having finally recovered from a long-term back injury, long jumper Lynique Prinsloo soared to a massive Olympic qualifier at the South African Student Championships in Limpopo at the end of April. Needing a 6.70m jump, she cleared that by a full 8cm, and said afterwards that moving to work with renowned long jump coach Emmarie Fouche at the University of Johannesburg has made the difference, on top of recovering from the three-year struggle with her back. “The wind played around with our first three jumps, on my fourth I got too much height, the fifth was a no-jump and then the last jump I came up with that 6.78. Sometimes an athlete can just feel it’s a good jump, and it felt like I was flying through the air for longer than usual.”

Dom Now in Elite Trio

Dominique Scott-Efurdbooked a provisional spot in Rio when she clocked a personal best 31:56.84 for 10,000m at the Payton Jordan Invitational meeting in California, taking 15 seconds off her previous best and finishing well under the Olympic qualifying mark of 32:15. Only two South African women, Elana Meyer and Colleen De Reuck, have ever gone faster, and Dominique is just the third to break 32 minutes. Should she get the nod to compete in Rio, she will be the first SA woman to run the Olympic 10,000m since Elana won the silver medal in Barcelona in 1992. “It’s been my dream ever since I can remember to compete in the Olympics in South Africa’s green and gold,” she said. “This was a dream even before I began racing on the track.”

Perfect Hurdle Execution

In the men’s 400m hurdles, Lindsay Hanekom looks to have realised his dream of booking a spot in Rio, thanks to clocking 49.03 at the ASA Open Championships in Bloemfontein in early May. His time is well inside the 49.40 qualifying time, and gives him a new personal best by 0.43 seconds. “I knew it was just a question of time before that time came! I was very, very focused ahead of my race and just went out trying to strive for perfect hurdle execution,” said Lindsay. “I was also very relaxed between my hurdles and maintained good rhythm. I’ve had a few injuries this year and didn’t have the best SA Championships, but I’ve risen above that and just came out to do my best.”

Caroline Wostmann can Make Running History!

On Sunday, 29 May 2016, Caroline Wöstmann of KPMG Running Club will try and achieve something that no other female athlete has done before. She will attempt to win both the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon as well as the Comrades Marathon in two consecutive years.

Derek Preiss is the only athlete so far that was able to do so. He did so in 1974 and 1975. With her victory in last year’s Comrades, Wöstmann, who trains at the High Performance Centre (HPC),became only the fourth athlete ever to win the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon as well as the Comrades Marathonin the same year.

Frith van der Merwe did so in 1989 and Elena Nurgalieva from Russia in 2004 and 2012.

Lindsey Parry (head coach at Tuks/HPC) emphasized that making running history will not be what the Comrades will be about for Wöstmann on Sunday.

“Caroline’s only focus will be to stick to the race plan we agreed on. I think we have planned a good race. I know you can never expect to win a race but we are expecting to be competitive.  The good thing is that, as far as I am concerned, there is no pressure on Caroline. The fact that she has won the Two Oceans means that she has already achieved a great result for the year.”

What does it take to win Comrades?

“It is no secret. The fastest time on the day will win the race and we are aiming to run the fastest time. It is not impossible for Caroline to go under six hours but that is not our target.”

Parry expects that the women’s race might boil down to a battle between Wöstmann, Charné Bosman and Britain’s Ellie Greenwood. Last year Bosman, who also trains at the HPC, was second and Greenwood finished second in 2014.

“Quite a few other talented runners will also be competing. For example, Sweden’s Kajsa Berg who finished 2nd last September in the World 100km Championships in Winschoten, the Netherlands, but it is important to keep in mind that nobody just ‘rocks up’ at Comrades and wins. You first have to pay your dues.”

According to Parry, the unknown factors in the race will be Tanith Maxwell, a former Olympian marathon athlete, and Colleen de Reuck, a SA Olympian who now lives in the USA.  Although De Reuck is 52 already, Parry is confident that she will finish in the top ten.

Parry prefers not to make predictions about what might happen if Wöstmann and Bosman should be the two athletes to duel it out over the final kilometres.

“I coach both of them so I try not to play them off against each other. If Charné remembers to stick to her game plan it could be a very interesting race.”

Asked if he made drastic changes to the training programs of Wöstmann and Bosman since last year when they prepared for the ‘up-run’ (Durban to Pietermaritzburg), Parry said: “The fundamentals of running Comrades remain the same. In both the up and down runs the first 27 kilometres are the hardest part of the course.”

Top Tips for Tackling JURA Like a Pro!

The Hollard JURA will have you crawling, climbing and running through urban and man-made obstacles you've never experienced before. It’s Go Time! Experience an adventure in your backyard at the Hollard Jozi Urban Run Adventure at Marks Park on Saturday, 28 May 2016. The Hollard JURA is a race that combines the best parts of trail running and obstacle courses to form a whole new urban running experience.

 

Here are our 5 top tips in conquering the Hollard JURA obstacles:

Show us your Spots

There’s nowhere to move but forward. For the leopard mesh crawl you’ll be making your way bum up and belly to the grass to get to the other side.

Hint: Keep your bum up so the net is above your face, that way you use your arms to move the net in front of you, easy-peasy!

 

Hanging Tough

Think ropes, and lots of them. You'll have to navigate your way across a rope jungle, using those guns to get you safely across and back to earth. Remember, the only wrong direction is down.

Hint: Build momentum then swing over and grab the next rope, this applies especially to those a little short in the arm department.

 

Wet and Wild

A addition to the Hollard JURA is the over 60m inflatable water slide. Glide your way down at speed while the water sprays around you. Time to cool down and letting catch your breath before the adventure continues. 

Hint: Lie flat on your back, hold your nose if you don’t want water up those nostrils and don’t forget to say “Weeeeeee!”

 

The Last Straw

With over 300 hay bales, the affectionately named “Hay Bale Hell is one of the highlights along the route. You’llrun and jump your way through, burying your hands in the straw and pulling yourself over, upwards and onwards.

Hint: Straw can scratch, so grab gently when you’re reaching for the next bale as you work your way over. Don’t forget to hoist and help each other out.

 

Over, Under, Through

From a series of obstacles to hop over and a variety of urban obstacles and storm water drains to crawl under and through. The Hollard JURA will have you going all O.U.T.

Hint:Going up? Hold the top, slide your foot to the side of the obstacle to get a good grip and then lift. Going under? Stop, drop and roll or try a squat and crawl.

 

Other obstacles you can look forward to: 3 crawling tunnels, grabbing some frequent climber miles up the Albert’s Farm rock climb, Tarzan style rope swings over Spruit ravines, wobbling your way across the balance walkers and winding your way down the 300m reed tunnel.

There’s fun for everyone, pick from three distance options: 6km, 12km and 18km. Each distance will feature a variety of inner-city obstacles, detours for those less adventurously inclined and routes that will give you the chance to climb, crawl and run through an epic urban jungle gym.

For those not lacing up and for all your family and friends, the Hollard Adventure Weekend Race Day Village at Marks Park will be alive with activity for the whole family.

Some fun to look forward to: A mini obstacle course for the adventurers in the making, an SAB beer garden and “Gig Rig”, Joburg’s top food stalls, an ABI family area, and much more. Follow all the latest news and announcements via social media by following us on Facebook.

There two weeks to go and a couple entries left so dust off those running shoes and enter! Entry fees are R249 for the 6km, R299 for the 12km and R330 for the 18km. Get your nearest sole mate and visit www.joziadventure.co.zafor entries and more information.

One year on…. from 5km to 42km in 365 days

One year on……..from 5km to 42km in 365 days.
That’s the story of this middle of the road fatty, who, on May 1st 2015 quite literally huffed and puffed her way to a Deloitte Challenge 5km medal and exactly one year later, at the 2016 Challenge, “ground” through 42km for an eagerly desired finisher’s medal. Not that I didn’t “hit the wall”, think seriously about “bailing”, question my sanity, mutter and scowl while plodding the hills, wonder where everyone was on the flat sections plus question the marshals during the last 5km as to why the finish line had been moved. At the end of it all, my name is written in the annals of KwaZulu-Natal’s marathon history.
Let the record show; I love marathons. Lead me to the start line of the next, and the next, and the next, and the next, and the……get my point?
Please allow me to emphasise my marathon running future in the words of that ever popular ’60 – ‘70s pop group, The Hollies and their ’69 mash hit, He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother;
The road is long, With many a winding turns, That leads us to who knows where, Who knows where?
The road running bug has not so much bitten but rather wedged itself into every fibre of my being.
Three marathons medals hanging on the wall and there’s loads of room for many, many more. I’ve reached the stage in this matter of regular running where; no run – no smile, which I understand is the psychological disposition of a marathon runner. Life is miserable without my daily run.
What continues to astound me in my pursuit of distance running medals is that I have also reached the place where it hardly seems worthwhile gearing up for a 10km run. Can this really be? Is this what I have become? Is this the same person, who after her initial foray into the world of road running, was virtually brought to her knees (not in the Biblical sense you understand) from exhaustion after what would now be considered warm-up?
How well I recall that first Deloitte Challenge 5km in ‘15. Every aspect of the event was overwhelming. The large crowd of runners, the route, the aches and pains during the run and not least of all, the uncertainly of whether I would be able to stand upright while receiving my medal after suffering oxygen deprivation during the final kilometre These reflections still leave me with a profound sense of wonder and accomplishment.
My three ’16 marathons each have special memories indelibly etched in my mind.
‘Maritzburg City Marathon, my first, screamed with fear of the unknown. Is this for real? I have no idea of the route. What do I eat along the way? Can I go the distance? Will my legs hold out? Can I finish? What if……? The finish line……so soon? One down. First 42km finishers medal EVER. Happiness is……
Number two, Veralum; the loneliness of the long distance runner. Where has everyone gone? Why is it so quiet here…..? There’s no one to talk to……dogs aren’t even barking. All I can see is sugar cane. Why am I doing this? Am I having fun yet? What……my second medal already? Watch me drill this one next year
The Deloitte Challenge, my third 42km, had me questioning (rather brashly I’m afraid); who said there were no steep climbs in this marathon? Is this the race everyone said was downhill? Road runners speak with fork tongue……I’m in another race ……I’m on the wrong road, I can feel it. Where are the down hills everyone talked about and why have all the marshals gone home early? I can see the finish line; 500m to go……time to celebrate……another one bites the dust
A week later I attempted the Durban City Marathon but with KZN receiving its total summer rain fall in one weekend, I hauled my drenched, soggy body and shoes to a 21km medal. The proverbial water, water everywhere never rang truer.
This year has also registered a number of growth areas in my life. There has been an increase in my pain threshold. I have met a variety of medical practitioners whom under normal circumstances I would have not known existed. I have discovered a host of over the counter pain remedies. I have explored a world of diets previously unbeknown to me plus I have taken on an entirely new athletic vocabulary. I have also mastered new codes; LSD, PB, Negative Splits, DNS, DNF and VO2Max, plus I have taken to mixing my drinks while on the run. I also now treat pain with ice. In addition I go to bed tired and I wake up tired each morning.
Oh……and have I mentioned I now consume enough food and drink for three obese adults?
And in that my dear readers, lies the agony of my new found passion – I am still a middle of the road fatty. I don’t do weight loss.
I wonder why?

BREAKING NEWS – Nedbank CEO hosts race send-off for its top Comrades Marathon runners

SANDTON, JOHANNESBURG, 11 MAY 2016 – Today, 11th of May 2016, Comrades Marathon major sponsor, Nedbank, hosted their elite Nedbank Club runners from around the country at Nedbank’s Head Office in Johannesburg for an official Nedbank Running Club media launch and Comrades marathon send-off.

This is the first time that Nedbank has hosted its top Comrades Marathon gold medal contenders in the same place at the same time prior to this major race. This momentous occasion allowed media the rare opportunity to interview these elite athletes prior to the Comrades Marathon.

The send-off began at 7am with a 5km fun run/walk around the Nedbank Head Office in Sandton, involving Nedbank Running Club elite runners, their coaches and managers, plus Nedbank staff and executive management, and the media. This was followed by a Nedbank-sponsored breakfast during which Nedbank CEO, Mike Brown, gave a heartfelt speech wishing all runners good luck for their 2016 Comrades Marathon endeavour.

Pro runners flown up for this event included Nedbank Running Club’s Claude Moshiywa, who was the first South African winner of the Comrades Marathon’s ‘Up Run’ in 21 years when he claimed victory at the 88th marathon in 2013. Moshiywa placed 3rd at the 2011 marathon and 7th at the 2015 marathon.

Also present was Charne Bosman (4th Women – 2016 Two Oceans Marathon, 5th Women – 2015 Two Oceans Marathon, 2nd Women 2015 Comrades Marathon); Ludwick Mamabolo (6th – 2016 Two Oceans Marathon, 2nd – 2014 Comrades Marathon, 4th – 2013 Comrades Marathon); Siphiwe Ndlela (10th – 2016 Two Oceans Marathon, 17th – 2015 Comrades Marathon); Eric Ngubane (19th in 2009 Comrades Marathon), and Renier Grobler (18th in 2015 Comrades Marathon) – will also be at the event.

“This rare but fantastic official media launch and CEO send-off, for and by the Nedbank Running Club, was aimed at giving elite Nedbank-sponsored athletes, Nedbank employees, and the media, the rare opportunity to interact in a fun and informal atmosphere. The send-off was about celebrating the growth of the Nedbank Running Club and how it continues to add immense value to thousands of social and Nedbank Dream Team elite runners across the country.

This momentous occasion in Nedbank history also offered our CEO, and our formidable runners, the heart-warming opportunity to say hello and thank you to one another, which was an amazing experience for all of them,” said Tobie Badenhorst, Head of Sponsorship and Cause Marketing at Nedbank.

Nedbank CEO, Mike Brown, took the opportunity to announce that Nedbank has signed a further three-year sponsorship deal with the Nedbank Running Club, which will extend the bank’s support for the club to 2019. Launched in 2008, the Nedbank Running Club’s core focus has been to bring running enthusiasts together in a social but competitive environment, also identifying and guiding talented individuals to their full potential in the sport. Under the expert management of Nick Bester (past Comrades Marathon winner), the Nedbank Running Club has 13 branches in 12 cities around South Africa, and has grown from a base of 1 200 runners in 2008, to 3 800 runners in 2015.

Testament to its success, Nedbank’s representation at the 90th Comrades Marathon in 2015 saw more than 1000 Nedbank Club runners enter the event, with nine of the 20 gold medals going to Nedbank Club members.

“Nedbank remains a dedicated supporter, and sponsor, of South African runners. Running provides opportunities for all South Africans across cultural, racial and financial barriers. Running is truly a sport for all. We look forward to once again seeing the Nedbank colours fill the streets in the 2016 Comrades Marathon,” said Badenhorst.

At the media launch, Mike Brown also unveiled Nedbank’s 2016 Comrades Marathon CSI initiative to support the #GoSandile campaign.

Said Badenhorst, “Four years ago, 17-year-old Sandile Mbili from Diepsloot in Johannesburg lost his legs due to a bacterial infection. The amputation confined Sandile to a wheelchair. This affected his life tremendously, especially getting to and from school as most taxis would refuse to pick him up. With the help of two non-profit organisations – One School at a Time and the Jumping Kids Foundation – Sandile has been fitted with prosthetic legs.”

To motivate Sandile to walk again using his prosthetic legs, the Jumping Kids Foundation launched a Twitter campaign called #GoSandile, which encourages everyone to tweet motivational messages to him, using the #GoSandile hashtag. These tweets are printed out and given to Sandile at each of his physiotherapy sessions, encouraging him to take another step to success.

“Nedbank truly believes in this positive campaign to encourage and motivate Sandile to run again, and have challenged Sandile to do something incredible – they have challenged him to run the Nedbank Green Mile, which is 1.6km, at the 2016 Comrades Marathon,” said Badenhorst,

Badenhorst says that this distance will be physically and mentally challenging for Sandile, but what will motivate him tremendously is that he won’t be running for fun, he’ll be running to raise funds for other child paraplegics in a similar situation to himself.

To help Sandile help other runners like himself – simply send a tweet of encouragement to @PhambiliSandile with the hashtags #GoSandile #NedbankGreenMile.

With all the tweets received, Nedbank will create a 1.6km Twitter track at the 2016 Comrades Marathon Nedbank Green Mile for Sandile to run over. For every Tweet that Sandile receives and is used for the track, a donation will be made to the Jumping Kids Foundation to help more paraplegic children get prosthetic legs.

Said Sandile, “I am so excited. I like helping people. I can see the difference that these legs have brought to my life and if I can help people by just running, I’ll never stop.”

 

 

 

 

Editors’ Notes

Nedbank is an official major sponsor of the 2016 Comrades Marathon.

The first Comrades Marathon took place on 24th May 1921, Empire Day, starting outside the City Hall in Pietermaritzburg with 34 runners. It has continued since then every year with the exception of the war years 1941-1945, with the direction alternating each year between Pietermaritzburg and Durban, the so called up & down runs.

The Nedbank Green Mile is the only official spectator point along the marathon route, offering Comrades supporters a perfect vantage point to view all the race action. It is located along Old Main Road in Kloof and is just 26km from the finish line in Kingsmead, Durban.

Entry into the Nedbank Green Mile Spectator Zone is free and festivities start at 8am.

This year the 89-km marathon starts in Pietermaritzburg and ends in Durban on 29 May 2016.