Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 162 October 2023 | Page 40

ADVERTORIAL
Road running in South Africa is set to receives a R2 million annual injection for the next 10 years with the launch of the Balwin Sport Marathon Series , and participants stand to win a fully furnished apartment !

In September , JSE-listed Balwin Properties , a developer that cares about environmentally responsible building practices and the delivery of high-quality apartments to its valued clients , announced the launch of Balwin Sport , a division of the Group aimed at promoting a healthier lifestyle amongst its clients , staff , and all South Africans . As part of this , Balwin Sport has signed on as the title sponsor of four iconic marathon races across South Africa in 2024 , joining these races for the first time in a national marathon series .

Steve Brookes , CEO and founder of Balwin , says , “ Since the pandemic , we ’ ve explored ways of promoting a healthier lifestyle amongst all South Africans . Through the careful reallocation of existing marketing budgets , we were able to launch Balwin Sport , which will inject more than R2 million into South African road running annually , by becoming the title sponsor of some of the country ’ s oldest and most iconic marathons for the next 10 years .”
Hugely Popular Races
The four races that will form part of the new Balwin Sport Marathon Series will be the Jeppe Marathon in Johannesburg on 11 February 2024 , followed by the Cape Peninsula Marathon on 18 February , and the Phobians Pretoria Marathon on 25 February . These three races are popular qualifiers for both Two Oceans and Comrades , whereas the fourth race in the series , the Dolphins Coast Marathon in KwaZulu-Natal on 17 March , is just a Comrades qualifier , as it takes place after the 6 March deadline for Two Oceans qualification .
Excited Partner Clubs
Unsurprisingly , the various running clubs whose races will form part of the new series have greeted the Balwin sponsorship with great excitement . Bruce King of Jeppe Athletics Club says , “ The Balwin Sport Jeppe Marathon is the first event in the series , but as a race it comes with a long 40-year history . We are looking forward to this tremendous new period in the race ’ s history . Balwin and Jeppe have a common ethos , and we look forward to this becoming the marathon series of choice for runners .”
Speaking on behalf of Phobians Athletics Club , Grahaeme Gertschof says , “ The Pretoria Marathon has been around for over 30 years , as one of the most prominent running events in the city . Hosted by Phobians Athletics Club , we want to grow the race to become a “ big city ” marathon – a nationally recognised , not-to-be-missed event on the running calendar .”
Glenn Muller of Celtic Harriers Running Club adds , “ The Cape Peninsula Marathon , hosted by Celtic Harriers , is the oldest marathon in Cape Town and takes runners along an awesome route with the Atlantic Ocean a constant reminder of what a privilege it is to run this race . We are excited beyond words to have Balwin Properties on board as title sponsor , and their mantra of “ Lifestyle Experience ” will elevate the Balwin Sport Peninsula Marathon to a must-do event where thousands of human stories of accomplishment can be interwoven into this iconic brand .”
The new series thus includes some of the country ’ s oldest marathon – the Cape Peninsula Marathon is due to be run for the 56th time in 2024 , having been founded by Celtic Harriers in 1964 . The four host clubs will also benefit further from the Balwin Sport sponsorship funding flowing down from club level into supporting underprivileged and development runners .
Road running legend Barry Holland , the holder of a record 49 consecutive Comrades medals to date and Race Director for the Dolphin Coast Striders event , has been appointed as the overall Race Co-ordinator for the series . He says , “ Road running is one of the most accessible sports and allows anyone to compete , from weekend warriors to elite athletes . I am very excited about the opportunities that Balwin Sport ’ s title sponsorship will unlock , not only in growing road running across the country , but also in uncovering the potential top talent of the future through the respective clubs ’ development work .”
Awesome Incentive
To further motivate participation in the series , runners who participate in any one of the events in the series could qualify to win a fully furnished Balwin apartment , as Ryan Kalk , MD of Balwin Sport and Balwin National Sales Manager explains . “ Our key objective is for people to participate and get healthy . Participants who enter and complete any distance on the day of one of the races and follow this up with a visit to any of our show apartments at one of our developments countrywide ,
40 will stand a ISSUE chance 162 to win | www a fully . modernathlete furnished apartment . co . za to the value of R800,000 !”
More on Balwin Properties Limited
Balwin Properties is a national residential property developer focused on development and sale of sectional-title apartments as well as surrounding infrastructure , in the mid- to upper-market segment across key metropolitan areas in Gauteng , the Western Cape and KwaZulu- Natal . Environmentally sustainable building is at the heart of the company ’ s development process , and this allows for significant savings for Balwin customers through reduced utility costs , together with potential savings through Green Bonds offered by most of the major financial institutions . More Info at www . balwin . co . za