Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 74, September 2015 | Page 59

Outreach

Ma

Alan Warrener (centre)
with the other two
Everesters, Gareth
Mackenzie (left) and
Lionel Heyl (right).

Riding up
EVEREST

What has five enthusiastic cyclists, a rather nasty Johannesburg hill and a whole lot
of passion to raise funds for a needy cause? It is the PinkDrive Everest Linksfield Ridge
Challenge, of course!

T

hey will huff and pant up the
Beryl Street, Linksfield Ridge 83
times on 2 October.

Alan Warrener, Charles Zeelie, Gareth
Mackenzie, Godfrey Tiedermann and
Lionel Heyl are doing this gruelling
“Everest” attempt – which is the act
of ascending the height of Mount
Everest, 8 840 metres – to raise at least
R100 000 for PinkDrive.
“We are doing this ride (a climb) in
honour of every person who fought
cancer and did their own ‘climb’ and
to raise as much money as possible to
help this awesome NGO save lives,”
explained Alan.
Godfrey says that he has completed a
number of sport events like Comrades,
IRONMAN, World Games and ultradistance Audaxes, but the Everest
attempt is perhaps the most serious.
“Cycling through the night and into
the next day, taking on the climb
of more than 80 repeats, which is
over 200 kilometres,” commented
Godfrey, “but I decided to take on
this challenge as it will be for a great
cause!”
For Charles, it is a challenge where
your mental side gets tested to the
extreme.

“Over the past few weeks I have had
a few friends who said that either
they or family members have been
diagnosed with cancer. In a way,
it’s a light that a few crazy guys are
prep