Pretoria - A group of Pretoria runners will join others across the country next month to run 400km in a bid to raise funds to help needy children to at least have a pair of school shoes and sanitary pads.
They embarked on this cause because “it takes a village to raise a child”, according to Prince Vulithuba Bandile Sangoni, 38.
He was born in Qokolweni village in Mthatha and has lived in Pretoria for the past 20 years. Sangoni is the founder of the Icon's Journey Marathon Foundation, which aims to assist children in rural and township areas with sanitary pads, sports kits and school shoes.
Initiated by the Promote Sport for Social Change foundation, the 400km Iconic Challenge was born after Sangoni was inspired by the 100 participants running 100km in celebration of the 100-year anniversary of former president Nelson Mandela in July 2018.
“The 100km route cut through some of the villages where I attended and went to school and where I was raised,” said Sangoni.
“During the course of the run, kids from nearby villages joined the social run but we noticed some not wearing shoes, and those who were wearing some had worn-out shoes. We then also used the run to raise funds to buy the 100 kids’ school shoes and running shoes, some receiving bicycles from our donors because of the long distances they walk to school and that handover was done in September 2018.
“We gained momentum in 2020, in partnership with Brand South Africa and an organisation called Sports For Ubuntu based in London, United Kingdom, where under Covid-19 they managed to host a virtual Icons Journey run which raised funds that benefited another 200 village school kids in South Africa with school shoes and sanitary pads.”
Sangoni said last year they initiated their first 400km Iconic Challenge run where 15 social runners representing seven different provinces ran and raised funds to benefit 2 100 rural and village schools across South Africa.
He said they were hoping to raise R200 000 to benefit over 2 000 village and township schoolchildren across South Africa. He also said that to date, they had raised over R30 000 through crowd funding platform Back a Buddy.
The marathon will be run over eight days from July 3 to 10.
According to Sangoni, it will be run along the National Heritage Council’s Eastern Cape Resistance and Liberation Heritage Route.
It starts at Fort Hare University in Alice, moving through Fort Beaufort, Komani Cofimvaba, Ngcobo, Mqhekezweni via Qunu and finishes in Mthatha at the Nelson Mandela Museum.
“Along the way it touches the birth homes of some of the most notable Struggle icons such as Mama Charlotte Maxeke, Chris Hani, Mama Albertina Sisulu, Tata Walter Sisulu, Nelson Mandela, Dr Alfred Xuma, King Sabata Dalindyebo and many others," he said.
Sangoni said they would cover 42.2km over seven consecutive days and 103km on day eight. There are 16 runners from Gauteng overall, four of them from Pretoria.
He said there was not much change in this year's marathon compared to the previous ones – the only difference is that 20 runners will be participating for the first time.
“The plan is to have new runners each year representing their provinces, where out of the funds raised they go back and bring change in their chosen schools in villages and townships.”
Pretoria News