Lees trades running gear for pink suit in aid of cancer
He will run in the suit until October 6 when he participates in the Midvaal Madmac Marathon.
Marathoner Sean Lees was greeted with applause when he crossed the recent Ebotse parkrun finish line in his iconic chequered pink suit.
He made his way to the finish sporting a smile and was flanked by his strength and conditioning coach, Cassy Barnes, and Stacy Henning after a successful test run in the suit.
He will be running in it until the Midvaal Madmac Marathon on October 6.
The Benoni Northerns Athletic Club (BNAC) member traded his running vest and pants for the pink suit to raise funds for breast cancer to help with awareness and early detection.
“It’s a cause that touches a lot of people. The point is to raise funds for breast cancer to promote screening, which helps with early detection,” he said.
“By doing that, we can save a life before it gets to a point where it is too late to do anything.”
Lees, who has lost family members and friends to this disease, said despite the chafe in the groin area, running in the suit felt good.
He’s going to wear it every Wednesday at the BNAC club run and various parkruns on Saturdays around the province for the next two months before the marathon in Midvaal.
The runner hopes to raise R50 000 to help with the fight against breast cancer, which according to Cansa affects one in 27 women in SA.
“We want to make more people aware. Most people don’t know how to assist in creating awareness and helping those doing the screenings. If we can get people to go out there to help and donate R300, which is the cost for a single screening, you could be saving one person’s life,” he said.
He pleaded with the community to join him at his weekly runs and donate towards the cause.
“They can scan the QR code on the back of my shirt. It will take them straight to the donations page. They can donate any amount but we are looking at R300 per person. The goal is to get R50 000.”
Running for a cause
He started running at Ebotse parkrun in 2015, running his first half-marathon in 2017 before joining Northerns in 2018. He ran his first Comrades the following year and completed four since then.
He was inspired by local endurance sport and ultramarathoner, Mark ‘Muddy’ Ferreira, who recently ran seven ultramarathons in seven consecutive days.
“I’ve always wanted to challenge myself. In the first half of the year, I train for the Comrades Marathon and in the second half, I always want to do something different. I thought I should run for breast cancer.
“Mark ran from Johannesburg to Durban pushing Chaeli Mycroft in a wheelchair and then running the Comrades with her also pushed me to run for a cause,” said Lees.
Barnes lauded Lees for this initiative, saying he will be fresh and ready for the marathon on October 6.
“We’ve got friends who have gone through breast cancer. It’s phenomenal,” she said.
For more info on the cause, contact Lees on 082 462 4483 or at seanmlees@gmail.com.
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