Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 128, March 2020 | Page 29

and Fransiska Blöchliger in Tokai. CMIYC planned an
ad-hoc gathering to protest and address the issue
with its Women for Change Run/Walk in Tokai Forest
bringing 3500 Capetonians out to stand united against
crime against women. Since then, the run has become
an annual race held in Sandton City in Gauteng during
the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against
Women and Children campaign, and CMIYC were
planning one for Cape Town on the 29th March this
year, during International Women’s Month, but the
unforeseen COVID-19 emergency restrictions forced
them to postpone it to a later date.
Exponential Growth
CMIYC has grown massively since its inception,
with more than 50,000 women having joined the
group runs that they offer, and in addition, more than
21,000 women having participated in official CMIYC-
organised events over the past three years. “We have
many women, who started with us and came to walk
their first 2km, and then went on to run the Comrades
Marathon, often together with their CMIYC Leaders.
They have not only become running sisters, they have
become best friends. Every woman, regardless of her
pace or if she just started walking, can join CMIYC,”
says Sabrina.
Today, the CMIYC Facebook page, which is where
the idea was first posted about, now has over 50,000
likes. “We have also launched a website, with an
online shop where you can buy our merchandise,
and we launched the first women’s running App,
where runners can find CMIYC group runs all over the
country. We have had more than 40 CMIYC Events
in the past three years, and have established annual
CMIYC Events in Johannesburg and Cape Town, with
more than 12,000 women joining in 2019.”
Sabrina is justifiably proud of how far the movement
has come and what it has achieved, and says
she is particularly proud of the role played by the
organisation in taking a lead in empowering women.
“The women I have met through CMIYC, especially
my leaders, are like-minded individuals that share an
interest in uplifting women. Many of them are not only
accomplished runners, but also mothers and working
professionals who show me every day that it is worth
it to get up and do better. Being an all-women team
focusing on an all-women community is still seen as
an underrated niche – in fact, many doubted it would
take off, and they are now surprised about the vast
reach and large community created through various
social media networks and platforms,” she says.
“The entire brand is still run by just two women
with a vision. We have grown from a local running
community into a national brand. It’s a constantly
and consistently growing market, yet it is still
underestimated in its potential. Funding is an issue,
even though government and the private sector have
pledged to support the cause. We are still waiting
for meaningful contributions to organisations such
as ours, and we call on those who can, to finally put
their money where their mouth is, not just by printing
empowering statements on T-Shirts to profit off a
crisis, but by helping us and other organisations like
ours make a definitive societal change.”
Running Activist
Sabrina is fuelled by the idea that one day, every
woman in South Africa can experience the feeling of
not having to fear for her life when she is just walking
down the street, or going for a run. “The question
we put forward is a simple one. All we are asking
of society is this: But what if? What if we can bring
about change for the empowerment and safety of
women? What if we work together to make it a reality
in our lifetime? As the mother of a little girl, a sister, a
friend and a human being, I want a future where our
society wakes up and does what they expect others
to do. We can all play our part to build a much better
future, where human rights belong to everyone and no
woman has to use the MeToo hashtag anymore.”
As for running, Sabrina regards herself as an activist
who just happens to run, and says she has found
it to be the perfect outlet to get her message of
empowerment and change across. “Sport has always
been a key to connect people, and a healthy lifestyle
impacts someone’s overall wellbeing. I saw running as
the most affordable entry level sport, which everyone
can do. You do not need any specialised expensive
gear or a place to go – you just start to run!”
Using sport to bring about change is in the DNA of
our country, just as activism is, and Sabrina and her
team embody the spirit of the strong women in our
country’s past, who defied the oppressive laws of the
day and in 1956 marched 20,000-strong to the Union
Buildings in Pretoria to say enough is enough. During
that march, they sang the freedom song, Wathint’
abafazi, wathint’ abafazi, wathint’ imbokodo, uza kufa!
(When you strike the women, you strike a rock, you
will be crushed, you will die!) That phrase has come
to represent women’s courage and strength in South
Africa, as seen in the runners of the Catch Me If You
Can movement. And while you may catch them, if you
do, be ready to face their strength.
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