Coming Full Circle
With Friends Like These …
ROAD RUNNING
Coming Full Circle
Chad also ran one day with Keith Boyd , who was on his way from Cape Town to Cairo
Check out Chad ’ s cool story about buying shoes at The Sweat Shop before his 100 Marathons Challenge .
MA : Given what you said earlier about wanting to run for a cause , I assume you have something or somebody that you ’ ll be doing this challenge for ?
CM : I know that to run through the whole of South Africa , I ’ m going to need something just as big to inspire me , and that ’ s why I have decided to run for the Theo Jackson Scholarship Foundation at Jeppe High School , which is something that ’ s very closely tied to my heart .
MA : We ’ re both Jeppe old boys , so I know what the fund does , but for the benefit of our readers , can you explain a bit more about the foundation , please ?
CM : The fund was started by Craig Jackson and Dale Jackson to help boys in need of financial assistance to cover the costs of going to a school like Jeppe , and I was one of them . During my grade 10 year at Jeppe , I almost lost the privilege of attending the school as a result of financial constraints , were it not for my teachers and the greater Jeppe community finding sponsors who were willing to fund my final years at the school . I am therefore honoured to have the privilege of being able to help other young men wear that mighty black and white blazer through
# RunSA2024 , which will aim to raise funds for the Theo Jackson Scholarship Foundation .
I have just finished writing an ebook detailing the 100 marathons that I ran last year , which will be published end of July , and it was through this process of writing and reflection that I was able to realise the immense role that Jeppe played in making me the person I am today . The school taught me that nothing is too difficult for the brave – Forti Nihil Difficilius – and that in order to live a life of purpose , you have to do hard things in life , because it ’ s through conquering them that we find purpose . The Theo Jackson Scholarship
With Friends Like These …
Chad says that one of the things that kept him going through his 100 Marathons Challenge was all the support he received along the way , including family , friends and fellow runners joining him out on the road or trails .
Images : Courtesy Chad Markgraaf
42 ISSUE 170 | www . modernathlete . co . za