Running as a sport has gained great traction in South Africa.
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Nedbank Running Club (NCR) shared in some of the success of the sport with several big names in the field.
Over the last few years and during times of restricted movements and activities limited to outdoors, the club also saw a growing interest in social running.
The club welcomed social runners through various club runs. In recent weeks, five Johannesburg and East Rand clubs have joined efforts to host events at their venues and compete for the title of the Time Trial Champion 2022.
Participating clubs for the challenge are NCR CG, Bedfordview Athletics Club, Greenstone Hill Running Club, Edenvale Rand Road Warriors and Jeppe Athletics.
Essentially, members from each of these clubs register once and show up to run the route presented by the club hosting the event on the day.
A mid-week time trial is an anchor event for running clubs and offers a great benchmark, while at the same time offering runners a chance to socialise.
During this challenge, runners experience different running routes. The aim is to build camaraderie among the clubs and their runners working together as neighbours.
The first leg of the challenge was hosted by the Greenstone Hill Running Club in February.
NCR CG (Modderfontein) recently hosted the second leg of the challenge. The event kicked off from the Flamingo Shopping Centre with a turnout of over 200 runners.
The club teamed up with the Modderfontein Neighbourhood Watch to ensure a safe running experience through the hills of the Modderfontein precinct.
Next up will be the April event hosted by Bedfordview Athletics Club followed in May by Jeppe Athletics and in June by the Edenvale Rand Road Warriors.
The second leg hosted a diverse group of runners and walkers, with runners ranging from ages 13 to 70 and finishing times ranging from under 17 minutes to over an hour.
The clubs have urged community members to get in touch with their nearest club and join in the fun.
NRC also hosts weekly time trials in Modderfontein. On offer are a 5km and 8km route for runners and a 4km route for walkers.
Hill sessions are offered on Thursdays, while Saturday mornings are reserved for longer runs but cater for all in 5km, 10km, 15km, 20km and 20km+ marathon training programmes.
For more information contact GayleB@nedbank.co.za
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