MY GOAL
RUNNING FAIRY TALE
Cape runners Renata Schoeman and Nic de Beer don some eye-catching costumes in order to raise funds for their Goldilocks and The Bear Foundation and the work they do to help school children with Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder ( ADHD ) and other mental health disorders . – BY SEAN FALCONER WITH KIM WALKER
“ I think I lost a few kilograms in sweat inside the suit , and it was hard to breath inside the head , because the only air coming in was through the eye patches . But running in the suit is for such a great cause , and that kept me going , because we really caught people ’ s attention .”
If you suddenly find yourself running or cycling next to two athletes in fancy dress costumes during a race , one dressed in a Goldilocks outfit with yellow dress and long yellow pigtails , and another in a ‘ onesie ’ bear suit , complete with massive bear-head , you may be forgiven for thinking you ’ re hallucinating due to a lack of oxygen . Relax , though , because you ’ ll just be sharing the road or trail with the Goldilocks and the Bear Foundation athletes .
Usually , the characters beneath the costumes are psychiatrist Renata Schoeman ( Goldilocks ) and entrepreneur Nic de Beer ( The Bear ). Renata is a general psychiatrist in private practice and amongst her running achievements on road and trail she has a 4:52:49 finish in the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon . Meanwhile , entrepreneur Nic ’ s focus is in the hospitality industry , and he is also a top runner and coach , with 12 silver medals at Comrades , 10 silver medals in the Two Oceans Marathon , and numerous trail running victories and podium finishes .
They ran the three-day AfricanX Trailrun in 2017 , including donning their trademark costumes on the challenging 32km dress-up second stage , and walked off with the award for best dressed team . Unsurprisingly , running such a challenging route in the bear suit proved quite a challenge for Nic . “ I think I lost a few kilograms in sweat inside the suit , and it was hard to breath inside the head , because the only air coming in was through the eye patches . But running in the suit is for such a great cause , and that kept me going , because we really caught people ’ s attention .”
KIDS IN NEED
Renata and Nic are co-founders of the Goldilocks and the Bear Foundation , a registered non-profit NGO that works to remove mental health barriers to education in South Africa . When asked to explain the name of the foundation , Renata says , “ I am sure you know the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears , but have you ever considered why Goldilocks got herself into such a lot of trouble ? Just perhaps she struggled with inattentiveness , absentmindedly wandering off into the woods , and then impulsively entering a strange house , and with her usual hyperactive way started climbing on furniture and tasting the food …”
“ She was lucky that the story had a happy ending , but thousands of other kids aren ’ t so lucky . At least one in 20 children in South Africa suffers from ADHD , a
Renata and Nic in more traditional running kit
disorder marked by symptoms of inattentiveness , hyperactivity and impulsivity . Although mental health clinics exist in the public sector , children with ADHD often never reach this point of diagnosis and treatment due to a lack of awareness and knowledge in their communities . They are never screened for ADHD , and may be labelled as naughty , or even ‘ stupid ,’ and may just silently fall out of the educational system and only come to our attention when absorbed into the criminal justice system . These children never have the opportunity to flourish .”
BACK TO SCHOOL
And so Renata , Nic and their team visit underprivileged schools all over the Western Cape to provide screening to the children for ADHD , anxiety , depression , visual and hearing problems , and developmental problems . They also ensure that these children are referred for the necessary investigation , testing , diagnosis and treatment . “ During the past seven months , we visited 17 schools and have provided access to services to roughly 12,000 children . This led to us assisting more than 600 children , including diagnosing more than 150 with ADHD and 38 with anxiety and depression . We also did more than 95 eye assessments , 70 hearing assessments , and more than 110 educational assessments ,” says Renata .
The Foundation aims to screen 500 children per month , but would like to do much more , given that there are an estimated 200,000 children in the Western Cape alone who currently have no access to such services , or have to wait month for assistance . “ We have therefore recruited pro bono volunteers to assist us , including optometrists , audiologists and educational psychologists . However , we also need to buy in services from professionals , and thus we are completely dependent on fundraising initiatives and donors ,” says Nic .
So that ’ s how Nic and Renata came up with the idea of running in costume to raise funds for and awareness of their Foundation , and their next outing will be on 23 September when they take on the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon . “ We are registered as a charity on Back-a-buddy , so people can support us as registered GB4ADHD Champions , or they can become a Goldilocks or a Bear Champion for GB4ADHD and host their own fundraising events to support our initiatives . All donations will make a difference in the lives of these kids ,” says Nic .
Taking on the AfricanX trails
More AfricanX fun
For more info , visit http :// gb4adhd . co . za or www . facebook . com / gb4adhd , or make a donation at www . backabuddy . co . za / charity / profile / gb4adhd .
Images : Moegsien Ebrahim , Tobias Ginsberg & courtesy Goldilocks and The Bear Foundation
10 ISSUE 109 AUGUST 2018 / www . modernathlete . co . za