If you haven’t yet thought of a way to spend the Freedom Day public holiday, one of South Africa’s oldest townships will be hosting a Freedom Day run.
The event will be the first of its kind to take place in Langa, titled the ‘Retail Capital Langa Run for Freedom’.
The event, hosted by the Langa Athletics Club, will kick off at the Langa Sports Stadium in Bitterhout Avenue at 7.15am, on Wednesday, April 27.
The route will pass some of the township’s landmarks, such as late South African singer Brenda Fassie’s house on Makana Circle.
The Langa Athletics Club was formed in 2015, to support and encourage participation in youth development programmes. The club focuses on athletics and promoting and encouraging a healthy lifestyle in Langa and surrounding areas.
Residents are expected to line the streets and cheer runners on.
Race organiser and chairperson of the Langa Athletics Club, Aubrey Isaacs, said the race was going to be a one of a kind experience.
“The idea behind this event is to bring together runners from across the city in the spirit of peace and togetherness, to celebrate Freedom Day and all that it represents,” he said.
He added: “We encourage runners to bring along friends and families to support them and to soak up the township vibe on the day. We know that, for many, this will be their first township experience and we hope it will be the first of many.”
Isaacs was instrumental in establishing the Langa Athletics Club and said the event was a dream come true.
“We started the club with 20 members, and over the years we have grown it to 350 members, some of whom reside in Langa and others in nearby suburbs like Bonteheuwel and Hanover Park.”
The race is open to runners of all fitness levels and includes a 10km run for participating clubs and professional athletes. There will be a 6km option for non-professional runners who want to test their fitness and soak up the township experience.
Isaacs believes the timing is right to launch the Run for Freedom.
“Many people don’t know that sport and fitness are big in this township. We have open-air gyms popping up everywhere recently,” he said.
He added: “From an administration and organisational perspective, the club is ready.
“We are working closely with the traffic department and have roped in our local community policing forum to safeguard the route. We intend to establish it as Langa’s flagship running event.”
Entrants can register to participate on https://entryninja.co.za until Monday or at the venue on race day from 5am to 7am.
Entry fees range from R50 to R120 for the 10km run and from R20 to R30 for the 6km run.
The proceeds from the event will be invested back into the athletics club.