There has been an outpouring of condolences and donations for a visually impaired runner who was killed in a hit-and-run incident just a week after completing his 13th Comrades Marathon.
Richard Monisi, 48, died after being struck by a car in Joburg on Saturday.
A friend, who is still in hospital in a critical condition, was also injured in the accident.
Richard’s wife, Sonti Monisi, 31, said yesterday that she was lost without him.
“He was my everything. I am completely blind but he taught me independence,” she said.
The couple from Soweto have three children, aged 3, 12 and 18. The eldest lives in Durban where he attends a school for the visually impaired. Only their middle child, a 12-year-old, has full vision.
Richard, who only had 5% vision in one eye, used to get up and train before dawn.
“He woke up at three in the morning every day to run. It used to irritate me, but I could never fight him about something he loved so much. I am so used to his routine, I’m awake at 3am. I am going to miss that because at least then I knew he was with me,” she said.
Richard’s running career was supported by Monica Childs, who paid for his entry fees and transport to races, and organised kit sponsorships.
“I do goodie bags for major events… Richard was working for Services for the Blind, which packed the bags for me. I noticed that he was wearing an old T-shirt with a Comrades logo. I asked if he was a runner, and he said he couldn’t afford to go any more,” said Childs.
Out of her own pocket, Childs became Richard’s sponsor for almost a decade. She also started a campaign to raise funds to help Richard and Sonti with extra money for their household as they lived on social grants.
“He never asked for money so I never knew when he needed something.
“He was a kind, gentle, funny and courageous person. His death is devastating,” she said.
Since his death, the campaign on crowdfunding website BackaBuddy has raised more than R20 000 for the Monisi family. Donors on the website and on various Facebook pages hailed Richard as an inspiration.
Fellow runner Florence Munyie was Richard’s running guide. “I saw him running with his cane and along the route he would fall or get lost. I could see he loved running so I decided to help and be his pilot,” said Munyie.
This year, Richard was piloted by Andrew Hall, to try better his time.
“His finish time was 08:38:51. He was very happy because Andrew was able to keep his pace,” she said.
She did not finish but Richard offered her his medal. “That was the kind of generous and caring soul he was. I said, ‘No, there is always next year.’ I don’t think I will be able to run without him. He had so many plans. He wanted to run the London Marathon and stand up for disabled people,” said Munyie.
In 2015, Richard received the Old Mutual Spirit of Comrades Award from the Comrades Marathon Association for “exhibiting the very noble attributes of The Ultimate Human Race”.
Richard will be remembered at a memorial service in Orlando tomorrow. A funeral is planned for his home town of Elim in Limpopo at the weekend.