GREEN RUNNERS
The finish was something of a blur – lots of photos , lots of fist pumps and plenty of relief ! I finished in a time of 21:25 and a few seconds , slicing a chunk of time off the previous women ’ s record , which really was my main objective . The best prize , however , was seeing a screengrab from the GivenGain site , which indicated that I was a touch over my R60 000 target ! That was the best feeling in the world , knowing that 13 turtle hatchlings will now be rehabilitated and released , all being well .
I ’ m sorry that my story is almost as long as the run , but I wanted to put it down as a formal record and say thanks again to all of my generous donors , including the anonymous ones . My funding target was R60,000 , and in the end I was thrilled that we raised over R70,000 for the turtles ! And I am happy to let Maryke have the final word here : “ Karoline had a turtle mascot , an amazing support team and also three turtle ninjas cheering her on along the way during her run . We could not be prouder and happier – a new 13 Peaks record and 13 turtles with their rehabilitation costs covered .”
Karoline ’ s Ninja Turtle Cheer Squad
Karoline catching her breath on one of flat parts of the course
All for the Environment
When she isn ’ t running up mountains , Karoline keeps herself very busy with various environmentallyrelated activities . A few years ago she started a small business , called SUPA , making single-use plastic alternative products , which has grown from strength to strength , and which upskills a small sewing group in Masiphumelele , Kommetjie . She also began an eco-gardening initiative , using her 2017 Comrades Marathon run as a fundraiser for a food garden at Masiphumelele School . She finished in 8:43:13 and raised her target of R25,000 , then used it to help the school build an eco-brick-based raised garden bed , to grow spinach , tomatoes and other veggies .
Another initiative she has championed is Eco-bricks , which entails making ‘ bricks ’ out of waste , by filling two-litres plastic bottles with soft plastic waste that is not currently recyclable in South Africa , and then using these bricks for actual construction projects . the Cause
While her relationship with the Two Oceans was initially rather strained , due to her outspoken public criticism of the race , Karoline says she is thankful that things improved a lot after 2017 . “ It has led to regular meetings and real efforts to clean up the race . In turn , those meetings led to an amazing workshop at the Sport Science Institute , with Western Province Athletics , Two Oceans , running clubs , sports scientists , journo ’ s and conservationists involved . There ’ s also been a huge increase in awareness , thanks to campaigns such as Modern Athlete ’ s # runclean , and the # GoGreen campaign , run by Wildlands in conjunction with Old Mutual .”
Ideal Eradication
While working on waste clean-up and recycling projects has been a step in the right direction , Karoline believes the best option is to get rid of plastic sachets completely . The # icarrymyown campaign that she helped start thus calls on runners to carry their own water in hydration packs or hand-held bottles . “ I started carrying my own water in 2014 , with a pic of a turtle swallowing a plastic bag pinned to my hydration pack . Unbelievably , one runner actually said to me , ‘ What a pretty picture !’ It ’ s a slow process to convince runners to change , but I think it has received a positive response .”
One of the big success stories of the campaign has been the introduction of refill stations in several
races in the Cape , where runners carrying their own hydration containers can refill mid-race . “ These amazing hydration stations were built by Richard Sutton , which he rolled out at his own races , the Milkwood and Chappies Challenge half marathons , because he ’ s the first race organiser to say no sachets in his races ,” says Karoline .
These refill stations have subsequently been used at various other races , including the Two Oceans itself . “ I ran some of those races , and if anything , I actually saved time by stopping to refill while avoiding the jams at all the sachet stations . It also felt good to say no thanks to all that plastic !” says Karoline . “ Now more race organisers are approaching us to ask for the refill stations at their races , and that ’ s great news , because it ’ s important that we reduce the demand for single-use plastic in the road running space . It ’ s a simple hydration issue for runners , but this stuff ends up leaking into our natural ecosystem , is ingested by wildlife and is ultimately entering the food chain – which has massive health implications for all of us .”
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