ROAD RUNNING
Dean leading another beloved Long Run
the original idea for the event , “ It started off as a bit of a joke between my wife and I , but then I realised it could actually work , so I contacted Dean for help and he contacted the HACT team , and before we knew it , we had a sponsor on board and hundreds of people were signing up to take part !”
Participants could choose to run or walk a 5 , 10 , 21 or 42km distance within their gardens , and while most opted for the shorter distances , more than 60 athletes out of the 700-plus entrants completed full marathons on the day . Typically , that wasn ’ t enough for Dean , though , who decided to run three distances ( 42.2km , 21.1km and 10km ) back-to-back in one day , for a total of 73.3km . This saw him run a mind-boggling 2094 laps around his 35m garden route , which took him nine and a half hours to complete .
“ At first I planned to just run a marathon , but then I thought , I ’ m at home and I ’ ve got nothing but time , I might as well do more ! So , I challenged my friends and family to sponsor me to do a three-in-one challenge , and ended up raising about R20,000 on the day for HACT .” ( in total , the event raised R125,743 for HACT .)
Another Legendary Effort
The next big challenge that Dean took on was the Race the Comrades Legends virtual run in June , and naturally , Dean opted to run the full 90km Comrades distance . He says that running such a long distance by himself did seem a daunting prospect , but he had some support out on the road on the day . “ I live in Gillits , so did the first 21km into Kloof and back into Winstone Park , where three friends joined for 17km , then I headed out to Inchanga and back . I had started at the exact end of curfew and saw quite a few runners from 6am to 10am , but out on the Comrades route I saw very few people – probably because they were already finished running for the day ! I met another friend at 60km , and from there had at least one friend with me all the way to 90km .”
On the day , Dean managed to raise another R10,000 in donations from friends and families , and says that at the time , he was not holding out much hope of reaching his original fundraising target for the year . “ At the start of Legends , I was sitting on R89,000 , so I told everybody a realistic target would be R100,000 , due to COVID and the disrupted year , with no Route Tester and less Beloved Long Runs .”
90km in the bag for the Comrades Legends virtual run
But Dean hadn ’ t factored in his long-time friend and donor , who once again rang him up . “ She called a few days before the Legends Run and asked how things were going , and I told her there was no Comrades or long group runs , so I was running 90km around my neighbourhood . I told her I was currently sitting on a high 80s figure and looking to get to at least R100,000 . She told me it had been hard year for her , that she had put her business up for sale , but still wanted to support me . She said , ‘ Dean , you ’ re an awesome guy , running for an awesome cause , and I want to support you , so give me a shout after you ’ ve run your 90km virtual run .’”
“ A few days later , she Whatsapped me in the evening and asked me to remind her how much she had donated in previous years . I told her R100,000 in the first year , then R200,000 , and that was the end of the conversation . Off I went to bed . Later that night , my phone beeped and I saw a notification of a deposit into the HACT account in my name . I just turned to my wife and said , ‘ Count the noughts … I think she just donated R300,000 !’ I had to share the amazing news , so I phoned HACT immediately and told them , ‘ I have
Providing Unconditional Love and Hope
Founded in 1990 , the Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust ( HACT ) is a registered non-profit and public benefit organisation that is dedicated to saving and transforming lives , and providing unconditional love and hope for all impacted by HIV / AIDS . As one of the first NGO ’ s in South Africa to respond to the HIV / AIDS epidemic , HACT has established a reputation for making a significant and meaningful impact in the lives of people infected and affected by the disease .
While HACT ’ s work and services continues to grow throughout KwaZulu-Natal , the organisation primarily focusses on serving the semi-rural and disadvantaged communities of the Valley of 1000 Hills region of KZN , one of the epicentres of the global HIV / AIDS epidemic with HIV-infection rates of up to 40 %. This is more than double the national average of 20 %, as per statistics supplied by the South African National AIDS Council .
The bulk of the funds raised through this year ’ s Comrades campaign for HACT will be going towards the its COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund , which according to CEO , Candace Davidson is “ helping to mitigate the far-reaching impact of COVID-19 on those considered the most vulnerable and at risk within our local communities , including those with compromised immune systems due to HIV / AIDS or TB , as well as the elderly . Within the context of the coronavirus and ongoing regulations and safety concerns , HACT has had to creatively find new ways of offering supportive services to our many beneficiaries .”
Naturally , the team at HACT are ecstatic with Dean ’ s fundraising efforts . “ If there ’ s one thing we ’ ve come to know about Dean , it ’ s that he doesn ’ t do things in half measures . Be it running laps around his garden for HACT during lockdown , running 90km in the Race the Comrades Legends virtual race or raising much-needed funds for HACT , he always goes the distance ,” says Candace .
You can help HACT make a difference by supporting its Adopt-a-Bed Campaign or Hope Club . Visit www . hillaids . org . za to donate and for more info .
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