HUGELY POPULAR COMRADES APP
The Comrades App was amazingly well received by our runners and supporters , with 65,000 downloads , 4,500,000 impressions , 575,000 searches , 450,000 engagements and 45,000 social media shares !
THE COMRADES ICE ID BRACELET
Comrades Marathon runners and supporters have contributed to charitable fundraising by purchasing 257 personalised Comrades ICE ID Bracelets . 25 % of the retail price is being donated to the Comrades Marathon ’ s Charity Drive , benefiting the nation-building activities of the six official Comrades Charities : The Community Chest of Durban & Pietermaritzburg , PinkDrive , Sports Trust , Starfish Greathearts Foundation , Wildlands Conservation Trust and World Vision South Africa .
CSI NEWS UPDATE
Support any of our six official Comrades Charities and make a world of difference . Meanwhile , here is an update from one of the six charities .
COMMUNITY CHEST THANKS MIKE COWLING
The Community Chest together with the children of Selby Msimang Pre-School would like to congratulate Mike Cowling on his achievement of running his 40 th Comrades Marathon and raising R50,000 for charity in the process . The funds he raised will go towards building more classrooms and upgrading the school . The school sent a message to Mike after his run : “ Thank you , Mike , your passion and desire to help the less fortunate is truly admired and acknowledged with a deep sense of gratitude .”
The ICE ID Bracelet is a professional , all-weather medical accessory with the runner ’ s wellbeing in mind : Lightweight , durable , comfortable to wear , and most importantly , the tag has space for six lines of laser engraving for all the runner ’ s ICE ( In Case of Emergency ) information .
For order and delivery details or further information , please email info @ iceid . co . za .
MY COMRADES STORY By Nonhlanhla Patience Motha
It was March 2015 when I met with my running partner , friend , coach and mentor , Paina John Mosito , and decided that I ’ m going to join this beautiful journey with him . I started training with him and ran my first Comrades in 2016 , the Down Run , which I finished in 9 hours 44 minutes . It was really tough , but an unforgettable experience . The start really amazed me , with the high spirits of the runners from all over our country and the world . This really put me in a positive frame of mind that I was going to conquer this race . What made me so confident that I will finish the race ? The answer was simply that I was physically and mentally fit , and above all , my coach believed in me and told me I ’ m strong and in a good shape . Those words really motivated me .
This year I did my Back2Back and once again found myself in the start seeding pen with him . I was very nervous , but it was once again amazing . He gave me the strength to carry on , and pushed me in those tough hills , and held my hand when I doubted myself . He would whisper in my ear , “ Remember , everyone is tired , you can do this .” He settled my nerves and brought tremendous pride to my heart .
The support from spectators makes the race , but running the race with him through halfway made the distance bearable . All the months of preparation , the early mornings and the long runs , came down to that moment when you are a few kilometres from the stadium and can finally push for home . As for the finish , there are no words to describe the feeling of achievement and joy .
With two medals around my neck , I stumbled through the crowd looking for him . I couldn ’ t wait to see the smile on his face and give him a hug and thank him for all his effort to keep me in shape and believing in myself , and to make my race a memorable one . I ’ m very grateful to have met such a wonderful soul in my life . The race cannot be better described than the 2017 motto , ZINIKELE . This race really does take all of you .
SHARE YOUR COMRADES MARATHON STORY
The 2017 Comrades has come and gone , but the memories will last forever . We are calling on you , the passionate Comrades runner , to inspire the nation with your Comrades story . Please send your write-up in 300 words or less , plus a photo of yourself , to delaine @ comrades . com .
COMRADES MARATHON ONLINE
www . twitter . com /@ ComradesRace www . facebook . com / ComradesMarathon www . comrades . com
Images : Jetline Action Photo & Courtesy CMA
48 ISSUE 96 JULY 2017 / www . modernathlete . co . za