South Africa is regarded as one of the countries worst hit by obesity. With our poor economy and hectic life- styles, few people eat properly, let alone find the time to exercise. However, we do have the time to party.
With this in mind Hyundai South Africa has come up with an entertainment first, the Rock the Run race, set for March 16, which will see party lovers enjoy live music as they run either 10km or 21km.
Before you rubbish it, the guys from Hyundai have thrown in a few prizes which include a Hyundai i20 valued at R158 900. Still have qualms about taking part? I didn’t think so.
About 11 000 athletes are expected on the day and several bands will play throughout the course to cheer on the runners. The acts include Freshlyground, the Graeme Watkins Project, Brent Harris and Mi Casa.
We caught up with Kayla-Rose Smith of Freshlyground who told us what to expect.
“We’ll give the classic Freshly-ground experience. We plan to bring the party to the run,” she said.
Smith admitted that while some of the band members would like to participate in the run, it was unclear if they could.
“Simon, our saxophonist, is an avid runner, but I’m not sure if he’ll get a chance to run as my under-standing is we play as people run.”
What will make the Freshlyground gig special is that they are not as frequently seen in Gauteng as the other acts. With their success came many gigs outside the Joburg/ Pretoria areas so this race will give their fans a chance to see them live.
“It’s rare that we come to Joburg so it’s great that we are here. It is great that there is this initiative in place and since we are all health freaks, it ties in well. We like the idea of people being healthy and having fun at the same time,” she said.
On what she meant by “we are all health freaks”, Smith revealed: “I run a lot at the gym and walk a lot up the mountain in Cape Town. Three or four days a week I do yoga and I try to live a generally healthy life. Eating healthy on the road is really hard and waking up in the morning to run after doing a gig to like 2am is even harder. Some of us are better than others but I must say we are not like a heavy partying rock band, we keep it tidy.”
The race will start at Mushroom Farm Park, in Sandton, where you can see the landmark Hyundai balloon from a distance. Here participants will experience an easy to challenging route of hills in the unpredictable terrain of Joburg. Every runner who completes a race will receive a medal and will get to attend the after party and qualify for the draw for the car.
For those who run the 21km, the male and female winner will each win R50 000 and the 10km winners will walk away with R10 000.
• To register for Rock the Run simply visit www.rockthe run.co.za. The deadline for race entries is today. Entries cost R250 for the 21.1km and R220 for the 10km.
For all spectators who do not wish to participate in the race and would rather enjoy a day of fun in the sun, the entrance fee is R100.
Children under the age of 13 will be allowed free access as long as they are accompanied by a paying adult.