OMTOM FUN RUNS: A FAMILY AFFAIR
The OMTOM Race Village at UCT becomes a hive of activity every year on Good Friday, when runners and walkers of all ages, shapes, sizes and fitness levels congregate on the sports fields to participate in one of the Old Mutual Two Oceans Fun Runs.
This is an incredibly popular event for families, with distances accessible to all runners and walkers, allowing mom, dad and the kids to start and finish together. On the Fun Run menu are:
• 56m Nappy Dash – a short and sweet run for little walkers under 3 years of age. There is no better or fun way to introduce the littlies to this beautiful sport.
• 250m Toddlers’ Trot – everyone’ s a winner at this popular event for kids between the ages of 4 and 6.
• 2.1km Fun Run – if you have just started running, or you’ re making your big comeback after some time off, this is a great distance to do. Mostly flat – apart from that little climb on the way back – and easily doable for anyone wanting to enjoy some Fun Run excitement.
• 5.6km Fun Run – this is a great race if you want to upgrade from a short distance to run your first 5km, OR if you want to crack your current 5km PB.
Online entries for the various Fun Runs are currently open at www. twooceansmarathon. org. za.
OMTOM EXTENDS # RUNCLEAN SUPPORT BY PILOTING # GOGREEN CAMPAIGN
The Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon team has been an ardent supporter of Modern Athlete’ s # RunClean campaign since its inception, and has been looking for sustainable solutions to curb littering within a mass-participation context.
This sparked the launch of the # GOGREEN campaign, an antilittering movement, coupled with a waste management plan that offers a sustainable way to collect and process the non-organic waste generated during race week.
The anti-littering arm of the campaign aims to encourage and educate runners to hold onto their waste until they reach an official THROW ZONE. In addition, a comprehensive penalty system is being introduced and will be enforced on Race Day. More about this in the next edition of Modern Athlete.
But # GOGREEN is about more than a campaign to teach runners to discard their waste responsibly. The Two Oceans Marathon will also collaborate with Old Mutual, through Wildlands, on a new project to transform event waste into Green Desks, with the aim to address the current shortage of school desks in South Africa, and in particular, in the Western Cape.
# GOGREEN was developed by Wildlands and is supported by Old Mutual.
RUNNERS’ VILLAGE – ADDING # RUNASONE HEART TO THE RACE
Every year, financial constraints prevent talented athletes from disadvantaged communities from participating in the world’ s most beautiful marathon. That’ s why the Runners’ Village was created, as a way to give underprivileged runners the opportunity to be a part of the race, and realise their dream of taking part.
Subsequent to an applications process, athletes( or Clubs on their behalf) can apply to stay at the Runners’ Village during Race Weekend. Situated at the Cape Academy of Mathematics, Science and Technology in Tokai, athletes will be hosted from Friday 14 April, with meals, accommodation and transport provided.
The Runners’ Village has also been the gateway for wonderful opportunities. Patiswa Gqetywa, who has been managing the Runners’ Village for the past three years, started at the OMTOM office as a cleaner and temp, and has since been promoted to the permanent team and manager of the Runners’ Village programme.“ I meet incredible athletes and am humbled to hear their stories,” says Patiswa.“ I count myself lucky to be a part of this amazing programme. We offer needy athletes more than just a roof over their heads before Race Day. We offer them an experience of a lifetime. I’ d like to believe that we change lives. We live the words RUN AS ONE. And that is a wonderful thing to do.”
Justin Maartins stayed in the Runners’ Village in 2005 when he ran the Ultra Marathon, worked as a Runners’ Village chaperone in 2014, and is now a member of the OMTOM entries team.“ The weekend at the Runners’ Village was one of the most amazing experiences of my life,” recalls Justin.“ Not only did we have a wonderful group of interesting individuals, our group leader went above and beyond to keep us entertained and inspired, and filling our stay with interesting speakers and visitors.”
Applications are open until 6 March, and running clubs are invited to apply on behalf of a needy club member via www. twooceansmarathon. org. za / information / runners-village.
OMTOM AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
Website: www. twooceansmarathon. org. za Call: 0861 262 326 / 021 799 3040 Facebook: www. facebook. com / TwoOceansMarathon Twitter: www. twitter. com / 2OceansMarathon Instagram: www. instagram. com / 2oceansmarathon
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