Friends go the extra mile for the SPCA

On a misty morning five pairs of feet rhythmically struck the tar as a group of Grade 10 boys from Pinnacle College Rynfield embarked on an epic fundraising challenge.

On September 27, while their peers slept in and enjoyed leisure time during the recent school holidays, the five friends, Luke Spencer, Cole Schoeman, Vincent Nel, Aiden Corregedor and Ayden Loock, left their homes and headed to Lakefield to complete a 24 hour run, in aid of the Benoni SPCA.

Drawing on their athletic ability, grit and stamina, the teens covered a distance of 50km, listening to motivational talks by retired Navy SEAL, endurance athlete and social media inspiration David Goggins to ensure their feet kept on moving.

Garnering the support of friends and family for sponsorship and donations, the pentad kicked off their ambitious trek, running 3km during their first and second leg.

Thereafter, they completed 2km every hour on the hour, for the remainder of the day.

Facing cold and rain, the fab five persevered, completing the challenge at 07:00 on September 28.

According to Tanja Spencer, Luke’s mom, the group of friends who are often seen on the cross-county field, formulated the challenge spurred on by their passion for animal welfare.

“They have been part of various community service projects at school throughout the year, but wanted to undertake an outreach effort on their own,” she said.

“Throughout the day we encouraged and supported them, making sure they were well-hydrated, but during the night they took full responsibility in making sure that they were out on the streets, completing every 2km cycle on the hour.

“Their dedication and resilience was inspiring, they faced the cold and rain with unbridled motivation.”

Upon the successful completion of their effort, no fridge or cupboard was safe and the group filled up on a well-deserved breakfast before hitting the showers and retreating into their rooms for some shut eye.

“All of our laundry baskets were overflowing with what seemed to be an endless pile of running clothes and so many wet socks,” said Tanja.

With great pride, a donation of R14 750 as well as 100kg of dog food was handed over to the SPCA, on October 6.

Jacques Cornje, manager of the organisation, said that he was blown away by the initiative undertaken by learners and is grateful for the donation.

“These boys selflessly pushed their bodies to the limit in an effort to raise money for the animals in our care,” said Cronje.

“It is humbling to have young people acknowledge the work we do and are willing to go to extreme measures to assist. For that we salute them.”

Given the success of this endeavour, these Pinnacle learners hope to establish this run as a regular fundraising effort where various other teams can participate.

Reflecting on the process the friends agreed that the most valuable lesson they learnt was that if you surround yourself with positive, like-minded friends, you are already on the path of achieving your goals.

“Their motivation will carry you through when you feel like giving up,” they said.

ALSO READ: Matriculant dedicates six distinctions to her late mother

ALSO READ: Benoni SPCA rabies vaccination outreach a success