Hand cycling relay a success

THE first edition of the 24-hour Achilles Hope and Possibility Hand Cycling Relay Race at Moses Mabhida Stadium was a resounding success, sparking interest in the event that is poised to expand countrywide.

With more than 500 participants and spectators on hand for the 24-hour relay around the People’s Park track, the event achieved its goal in raising funds and awareness for Ethembeni School and Achilles South Africa. The event went a long way in highlighting the issues faced by disabled athletes and communities.

Organiser, Gordon Reid, said: “We had twelve teams that completed a total of 3500 kilometres and we are currently in the process of tallying up how much money we raised. The teams comprised of corporate entries, entrepreneurs doing a team-building for their staff, and individuals making up teams. It was fantastic to see the local wheelchair basketball team, the Ethekwini Spears, taking part in the event and they managed to ride for the full 24 hours!”

He went on to say that support from local government and role players was a crucial part in getting the initiative off the ground. He said there was great buy-in from eThekwini Municipality and especially Vulnerable Groups which falls under Community Participation. “The city and the Moses Mabhida Stadium want the event to be on a yearly basis but we might even have another event at Moses Mabhida later this year,” he said.

The need to try and reduce the costs for the event have been noted and Reid and his team are trying to come up with more cost-effective ways to put on the event so they can raise as much money as possible.

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“The city understood the importance of such events because many disabled kids are left at home and sit still for long periods of time which isn’t good for them at all. We will thus be changing the format of the race and have been in discussions with local engineers to see if we can develop a hardier, cheaper version of the handcycles we were riding at the weekend,” Reid added.

Zimbabwean businessman living with Multiple Sclerosis, Oliver Sinclair, flew in and brought four disabled athletes along to take part in the epic relay.

Having connected with his teammates while completing the Victoria Falls Marathon, Oliver and his team put in the hard yards in preparation and it paid off as they took home the race trophy, clocking more than 400 kilometres during their 24-hour ride.

The team he brought from Zimbabwe had never seen the sea before and Oliver was delighted when they had the opportunity to see the ocean for the first time.

Contact info@achilleshopeandpossibility.org or phone or email Gordon Reid on 082 921 2005 or gordon@connectivdigital.co.za.

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