Best foot forward for the children

Mackay is now a Starfish Greatheart – a volunteer who physically challenges herself in order to raise funds for the organisation by getting people to sponsor her. And this year she raised R5 600 for the organisation.

Mackay, a Midrand resident, said her second attempt at the Comrades this year was “hard but so good” and it was a memorable experience.

She recalled how, while she was running, she saw a woman she had met at the Starfish Foundation’s charity dinner before the Comrades Marathon. She said the woman had planned to run the marathon with a broken toe, but she could not remember her name.

“I spotted her halfway through the race and was very excited to see someone I knew and yelled, ‘Broken toe!’ She was also excited and happy to see me as well. We just hugged each other and ran down the hill laughing,” said Mackay.

A number of newspapers snapped a shot of the happy runners and it appeared in a couple of newspapers; Mackay was thrilled.

She only started racing competitively in 2011 when she ran the Two Oceans Half Marathon, and since then, aside from competing in the Comrades Marathon twice; she has also run the 50km City-2-City Ultra Marathon between Johannesburg and Pretoria; and the Rome and Paris Marathons.

Mackay decided to not only challenge herself physically but also raise funds for the Starfish Greathearts Foundation, an international development charity that provides children who have been orphaned or made vulnerable by HIV/Aids with opportunities.

In an interview with Midrand Reporter last year, Mackay explained her reasoning for raising funds for this charity. “Children are the future. I have three beautiful children, and I know that what they need most in life to thrive and conquer whatever comes their way is the love and support of only one person who truly cares. The Starfish Foundation makes that possible,” said Mackay.