Time to Run Again
Much-needed Money
MY GOAL
Athletes with a Cause
We have many athletes in South Africa hitting the roads and trails to raise money for or awareness of important , deserving causes , and we want to give them the publicity they deserve for their efforts .
The Race to End Alzheimer ’ s
By Frankie Hunt
The Race to End Alzheimer ’ s ( REA ) is all about a group of ordinary people who run to create awareness of Alzheimer ’ s Disease , and to raise funds for a dedicated team of trainers to train people who care for Alzheimer ’ s patients . REA was started in 2014 , after my wife Heila had been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer ’ s at the age of 56 . Although there is no coming back from this disease , I felt a need to do something constructive and make some sort of contribution with regard to Alzheimer ’ s .
I have been an active runner for some 30 years , and one morning while out running with our regular group , I discussed my desire to do something with my fellow runner Nadine . Right there we decided that we would do a relay run from Johannesburg to Durban to create awareness of this horrible and sadly misunderstood disease , and raise some much-needed money to train people who care for Alzheimer ’ s patients .
I launched the initiative with Helen Charalambous , whose late husband Steve had also been diagnosed with Alzheimer ’ s in his 50s , and we teamed up with the nonprofit organisation Alzheimer ’ s South Africa . That first REA took place later that year , with 20 athletes running in pairs of two in the relay , and it proved so successful that we repeated the relay in 2015 . Members of our team have also participated in the three-day AfricanX and Oxpeccker trail running events as well as the Fish River Canoe Marathon , and we have put on several golf days , all to raise awareness and funds .
Time to Run Again
However , with funds to continue the training of the carers starting to run low , we decided we couldn ’ t just let the training come to an end , so this year the REA team of 12 runners and five support crew went down to the Southern Cape in September to run the 4 Passes relay race from Mosselbay to Knysna . The race took place from 25 to 29 September , appropriately putting it close to World Alzheimer ’ s Day on 21 September .
The five-day Four Passes route goes over four of the historic mountain passes built by legendary road-builder Thomas Bain in the second half of the 1800s , and starts with a 92km stage on the R328 from Mosselbay to Oudtshoorn , running via the Robinson Pass . Day two is 69km of gravel roads from Oudtshoorn to Prince Albert , going via the Swartberg Pass , and that is followed by a 112km stage from Prince Albert to Oudtshoorn on the R407 , climbing the Meiringspoort Pass . The fourth day is the longest at 122km , using the R62 to get from Oudtshoorn to Uniondale , and the tour concludes with an 86km stage on the R339 from Uniondale to Knysna via Prince Alfred ’ s Pass .
Much-needed Money
The total distance we ran collectively was 481km and what an incredible experience it was , but best of all was that our latest run has helped to push our fundraising total since 2014 close to the million Rand mark , and we are most grateful to all those corporates and private individuals who have contributed to our cause . This money has been and will continue to be used to fund the team doing the training of carers , which is headed up by Denise Fredericks of Alzheimer ’ s South Africa .
The team uses the fund raised to render the following services
• Dementia care training to carers in dementia care facilities who could not otherwise afford training .
• Awareness talks at churches and Nursing Homes to family members and carers of people suffering from dementia .
• Providing stipends and cell phone top-ups to 10 trained field workers in Soweto , Pretoria , Mamelodi , Atteridgeville and Johannesburg , who do home visits to assist with washing patients and giving advice on dementia care .
This team is totally dependant on REA funds , and they are true angels doing a wonderful job to make the lives of many unfortunate people just a little more bearable . It is an honour to be able to run to aid their work .
Frankie Hunt in action
If you would like to contribute to REA ’ s cause , more info and banking details can be found on the group ’ s Facebook page , called The Race To End Alzheimer ’ s . Alternatively , you can e-mail Frankie Hunt at frankie1 @ mtnloaded . co . za .
Images : Courtesy Frankie Hunt
12 ISSUE 100 NOVEMBER 2017 / www . modernathlete . co . za