MY GOAL
RUNNING
FOR THE DEAF
The idea for my informal Running Tours to Europe was born way back in 2010 when a running friend asked me to organise such a tour,“ so that we can also run overseas.” I agreed, but parked the idea until 2012, and only then started to look into the possibility. That resulted in 14 running mates setting off to Spain and Portugal for two weekends, two countries and two races. It was an experience of a lifetime for all of us, and the beginning of an incredible fundraising initiative! – BY NATALE ROELOFSE
Bettie, Marianne and Eva in tour action
At the airport in Barcelona, on our way back from that first tour, another friend asked me matter of factly,“ So where are we going next year, Ouboet?” As that was not part of the initial plan, I wanted time to think about it... Although the first tour had been a great experience, I had spent many, many late night hours working to organise everything myself, to curb costs for the group. Then I remembered how I could not enter the London Marathon in 2008 other than to run for a charity, and given that I was working for an NGO and being responsible for fundraising, I threw down the gauntlet that I would be prepared to organise another tour if each member undertook to raise at least R1000 for the multidisabled deaf adults at the National Institute for the Deaf( NID) in Worcester. They took the bait without any hesitation!
GROUP OUTINGS
So in 2013 the nine tour members to Hungary and Slovakia raised the first R16,000. The following year, 16 runners raised R62,000 while running in Germany, Austria and Switzerland( the 3 Countries Marathon) and Italy. In 2015, two tours took 26 runners to Romania, Croatia and Italy, and raised R119,000. Then in 2016, 25 runners headed to France, Belgium and the Netherlands, and raised R86,000, while last year, 19 runners set out to Denmark and Sweden, and raised a whopping R164,000. And keep in mind that the tour members still had to pay their full touring costs as well, showing just how much their fundraising efforts paid off!
The tour members have now visited 11 countries, run many races, explored new places and made lasting friendships, while enjoying an experience of a lifetime. I also believe that these running tours have enriched the lives of the runners, but even more so the vulnerable people in the care of NID. In a mere six years, this Run for the Deaf project has raised more than R450,000, making it easier for the NID to deliver its necessary services in the only facility of its kind in South Africa, and in Africa, for that matter. The runners have proven that anybody can contribute, give, and make a difference in somebody else’ s life, and help the deaf to overcome the difficulty of language acquisition, and ultimately, communication.
THE BETTER HALF
When my wife, Bettie, an on-off fun runner at the time, mentioned in 2013 that she wanted to go with on the tour, I told her poker-faced that I don’ t organise tours for tourists, just for runners. She asked me what the shortest distances were on offer and when I said 4.2km and 7km respectively, she said she can do the 4.2km, but was a bit scared of the 7km. My answer was that if she could do a 5km, she could do a 7km. Well, she went along and she did her two runs, and the next year she tackled a 10km and a 15km. Then in 2015, when the shortest distances were two 5km fun runs and the next level was a 21km, she declared that she cannot go all the way just for two 5km runs, and that resulted in her running her first 21km, in Bucharest, at the ripe old age of 60!
The beauty of it all is that when she had to raise her R1000 the first time, she asked me to do it, as she“ Cannot ask people for money.” I helped her that first time, but the next year she asked me whether she could raise her part for the nursery school for the deaf in Worcester, where she is the acting departmental head, as they had the normal needs that any school faces. I agreed, and she raised R9000 herself! After four years of being part of the tours, she has now raised a total of R81,000, which enabled the school to do much-needed renovations, buy apparatus, and provide vital services.
MORE ADVENTURES TO COME
The next tour will head to Europe in September 2018, visiting Prague and Ostrava( Czech Republic), Vienna( Austria), Bratislava( Slovakia) and Krakow and Warsaw( Poland), running three races, a parkrun and a city run along the way. The Run for the Deaf initiative continues to show that whether it is running or raising funds, the moral of the story is simple: Where there is a will, there is a way.
Natale’ s tour groups are small and quickly fully booked, but if you want to make contact to enquire about possible future tours, please send a mail to roelofses @ breede. co. za.
Images: Courtesy Natale Roelofse
10 ISSUE 108 JULY 2018 / www. modernathlete. co. za