Compete alongside some of SA ’ s road running legends
RUNIFIED
The Nedbank Running Club ( NRC ) is home to some of South Africa ’ s legendary runners , such as Gerda Steyn and Irvette Van Zyl , and has transformed lives and ignited the passion for running for ordinary South Africans .
Nedbank Runified , the NRC ’ s first virtual running series , was formed to unify runners countrywide and give them a feeling of purpose and hope during Covid19 .
Kelly van Vliet , still an amateur runner at the start of the Nedbank Runified virtual series in 2020 , believes the Runified series gave her an opportunity to develop and reignite her passion for running . She joined the NRC Green Team in 2020 and competed in the Nedbank Runified : Breaking Barriers 50 km International Association of Ultrarunners world record attempt not even a year later on 23 May 2021 .
Nedbank Runified gave Van Vliet a sense of community , even with the restrictions , and made her excited and eager . ‘ I registered for the Runified series because it was exciting to have something to look forward to . Training through lockdown was hard and when we finally were allowed on the road there were no races happening . When Nedbank and their sponsors decided to form this initiative , with prizes and prize money and a platform for anyone to race , I happily joined ,’ she said .
The Nedbank Runified series also played a role in motivating Steyn , who competed for the first time in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics . ‘ The Runified series is all about consistency and that is a key factor in my training too . It is a perfect motivation to keep going . It also came at a great time for me because it motivated me to get back on the road after recovering from my previous marathon ,’ said Steyn .
The Nedbank Runified series gives an opportunity to runners across all fitness levels to run alongside elite athletes , knowing that they are all part of a large virtual community . Running provides development to people in more ways than just physical . ‘ Running is more than a sport – it is my passion and love . It is not always easy but that is what keeps it interesting . It is where I can be alone in my thoughts and have my me-time to reset mentally ,’ said Van Zyl .
The pandemic affected our routines and while many people turned to running to provide some form of normality , doing so responsibly remains top of mind . In light of the adjusted level 2 restrictions , Nedbank encourages runners of all fitness levels to compete in the series either alone or with a family member living in the same house , but avoid large groups to help minimise the spread of Covid-19 .
Challenge your limits , run and get rewarded by joining the Nedbank Runified virtual series . To keep abreast of all updates , join the NRC on Strava . For more information on the NRC , visit nedbankrunningclub . co . za and follow Nedbank Sport on Twitter and Facebook .