Such have been my experiences of events being organised under the guise of serving a particular cause that I’ve become a cynic. You see, I’ve come across many organisers who merely pay lip service to the causes they purport to serve that I’d rather they just did not bother.
But this is a free country, and those capable are allowed to align their events to whatever they want to, the fact they could well be ‘using’ notwithstanding.
And so it was that cynical me made the trip up to Ga-sekhukhune’s Jane Furse in Limpopo for the launch of the SA RUN4CANCER Ultra Marathon. The truth is I went because the invitation had said Comrades Marathon record-breaker Johannes Mosehla would be honoured along with wheelchair tennis champions Kgothatso Montjane and Donald Ramphadi. Which newshound worth his salt would miss the opportunity to speak to such heroes at a go?
I’d always heard of the RUN4CANCER race and had it on my ‘to-run’ list. Though the name was self-explanatory, what made the race stand out was that it was one of the best-paying races in the country. This much was confirmed this week when the organisers announced that the winners (both male and female) of this year’s race will swell their bank balances by R100 000 each. Whether those who participated in the race did really ‘run for cancer’ was not something I thought much about. After all, there are a lot of lip-servicers out there.
But inside the hall at Boeketlong Lodge on Tuesday, the cynic in me was converted. The SA Run4cancer Ultra Marathon truly is what it says it is.
The race did not return to the calendar last year because the organisers were mourning the death of race founder Tom Sedibe, due to cancer, and his wife Otshepeng Seeletse spoke passionately about their commitment to using the race to raise awareness of the disease.
Tears rolled down the faces of many as race ambassador Nomsa Tshingowe, a cancer survivor, shared her story during the launch.
But it was the story of Limpopo’s MEC for Sports and Recreation, Nakedi Kekana, that spoke volumes. Upon taking over the role last year, she decided to back the race as she felt it was for a good cause and she made it known during her provincial budget speech for the current financial year that her department would support the 89km event.
“But this year when I went for my annual medical tests – the pap smear and mammogram – I found that there’s a tumour on my breast, an indication of early-stage breast cancer. Hence, sometimes I realise that things are God-sent. When I included this race in the budget speech, little did I know that I was one of the carriers or victims of cancer.”
Online registration for the October 28 race opened on Saturday and the organisers hope to attract 10 000 runners, inclusive of the main attraction 48km ultra, the 32km, 21.1km, 10km and 5km fun run.
They probably will, what with all finishers of this year’s race set to receive special medals named after Johannes Mosehla, the 81-year-old superstar who unseated the legendary Wally Hayward as the oldest man to complete the Comrades Marathon. And he did so in an incredible 9:26:09, a good hour and a half faster than Hayward did shortly before his 81st birthday in 1989. Hayward had run a 9:44:15 the previous year, prior to his 80th birthday.
Mosehla was understandably the centre of attraction at the event, with just about everyone wanting to take a snapshot with him, and the old man duly obliged. And he is sure to be even more in demand at the race itself in October.
@Tshiliboy
IOL Sport