Comrades united across the generations

WHILE most people would shy away from running 87km, the Denis Hurley Centre (DHC) is encouraging the community to sponsor someone who is mad enough to do so.

Almost 100 years ago, the first Comrades Marathon was run between Durban and Pietermaritzburg in honour of those who had fought side-by-side in the First World War. It therefore symbolises how generations are united in a shared spirit of sacrifice and endeavour. How fitting then that, as one man who ran the Comrades for the DHC hangs up his running shoes, another takes over.

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Mgr Paul Nadal, a patron of the Centenary Club, has retired from running and recently stepped down as a Trustee of the DHC after nine years’ service. Over the years, he has been a major fundraiser through ultra-long runs, bike rides and walks. On his retirement, he handed over the running baton to Sipho Mataka, a 39-year-old firefighter who wants to use his passion for running to support the DHC. This will be Sipho’s 6th Comrades and he hopes to complete the 87km ‘up’ run in under seven-and-a-half hours to earn a silver medal.

“We are challenging people to motivate him with a sponsorship target of R27 000 – R1 for every second of running,” said Raymond Perrier, director of DHC.

The public can sponsor him on-line at https://www.backabuddy.co.za/champion/project/comrades-for-denis-hurley or by e-mailing fundraising@denishurleycentre.org.

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