THE House of Prayer’s 5km Fun Run was well-attended with runners and observers supporting the event. On Saturday, 8 October close to 150 runners enthusiastically started off their route on Ethelbert Road, making the most of the overcast weather.
“From the outset it was also clear that it was, again, going to be a wonderful opportunity for the community to have a great time and interact with one another while challenging themselves at the same time. Raising funds to bring Christmas presents to many under privileged children added another dimension to the fun. As one runner said – while you are making your way up a steep hill or tackling a difficult stretch, you know that you’re helping to give a child hope and happiness,” said Sandy Olsen.
Thirteen-year-old Nathan van der Merwe dominated the race while 12-year-old Alyssa Gass won the women’s race in only 22 minutes. Colin King (69) and Meryl Easson (70) were the senior citizen winners. Many spot prizes were randomly presented to participants in all categories during the prize giving segment. Lucky winners took home meal, petrol, and car-wash vouchers also gift sets, table cloths, flowers and much more.
“Our supporters and donors, many of whom have been with the event since its inception, are really the ones who make this vision possible and we can’t thank them enough for the incredible difference their generosity makes,” she said.
A range of sponsors united to make the event a success. Participants assisted the church in raising funds for about 1 600 underprivileged children. Proceeds will be used to host Christmas parties in 30 rural communities across KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape where HOP has ongoing upliftment programmes.
