Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 66, January 2015 | Page 30

Ma

My Goal

Freedom Run
In late September, Mimi Anderson of
the UK and Samantha Gash of Australia
set out to complete the 2000km Freedom
Trail from Pietermaritzburg to Paarl to
raise funds for underprivileged women
and girls in South Africa, and according to
‘Marvellous Mimi’ it was a huge adventure
from start to finish!

O

n the 25th of October a dream became

a reality when Samantha and I

completed our epic journey across the

Freedom Trail in South Africa. Covering

anything from 48km to 96km each
day over technical terrain with a cumulative ascent of
37,000m, it was the most amazing experience of my
life, running through areas so beautiful it literally took
my breath away. During the run we also stayed with
wonderful people who welcomed us into their homes
and fed us the most delicious food.

on health and hygiene, as well as life skills training and
workshops about the importance of attending school.
It’s a very simple way of making a massive difference
for girls in South Africa.

Our support team consisted of Mathieu Dore (Head of
crew), documentary guys Tom Bell and Steve Young,
and crewman/photographer Max Beauchamp. The boys
looked after us fantastically well, taking it in turns to
run with us each day and entertaining us every time we
arrived at the car. Samantha and I were also given a
huge lift when we were joined by various local athletes:
Hilton Dunn ran with us on day eight, Linda Doke joined
us for day 29 as we ran through vineyards, while Rory
Steyn cycled with us on days 30/31, and on the last
day we were joined by Eric Tollner, who completed the
Freedom Challenge in 2013. We really appreciated their
support and company.

TOUGH ENOUGH

Luckily for me, I had no real issues apart from a small
blister on my left foot, and my 52-year-old body held
up really well, but one thing I was most thankful for
was my hot water bottle. Everyone teased me about it,
but it kept me warm at the end of each day, because in
South Africa there is no central heating in the houses,
so once the sun goes down at that time of year it gets
cold very quickly.
The last day threw everything at us… It was the most
technical section I have ever run, with one 10km stretch
taking us six hours to complete and finishing with a
near vertical climb to get out of that valley, but once
again we were treated to scenery that many people
will never see, a real privilege. Reaching the finish felt
incredible, and a big, marvellous thank you goes to our
amazing sponsors and to each and every one of you
that supported the Freedom Runners.

We ran through private game reserves where we saw
rhino, warthogs, giraffes, wildebeest, jackals, many
different types of antelope, and ostrich. We crossed so
many rivers I lost count, and there were sections where
tracks simply don’t exist, so we found ourselves going
through thorn bushes, crawling in the undergrowth,
or walking down a river as it was easier than trying to
trudge through seven foot high reeds. In the first week
we also climbed to the highest point at 2700m above
sea level, and the wind was so strong that we nearly
got blown off our feet, but the views from the top were
worth the long, tough 8km climb. It was like standing
on top of the world.

FOR THE GIRLS

30

ISSUE 66 JANUARY 2015 / www.modernathlete.co.za

g adventures at
You can follow Mimi’s runnin
m/v2/
http://marvellousmimi.co

Images: Courtesy Mimi Anderson

When we started planning this project over two years
ago, Samantha and I knew that that we wanted to raise
money for a cause in South Africa that would affect girls
and women, so we set out to raise the £27,500 needed
to enable Save the Children to set up a social enterprise
business in the Free State making re-usable sanitary
pads. Did you know that 60% of girls and women in
South Africa do not have access to f [Z[