AN uMhlanga resident is taking on this year’s Comrades Marathon with a ‘bounce’ in his step. Myles Buxton, who is running his sixth Comrades this year will be bouncing a tennis ball for the entire duration of the 89 kilometres race from Durban to Pietermaritzburg. Buxton has run five Comrades Marathons over 19 years, and has always run for charities, including babies’ homes and the Sunflower Fund.
Buxton’s cause is called Bouncing Wilson, in reference to Wilson, a volleyball who Tom Hanks befriends in the move Castaway.
“On the last two down runs, I realised that I wanted to do something different, so I bounced a tennis ball the entire way. This year, I am running for two very sick and needy children. One is Vitthal, who was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy at the age of seven. The other child is Chezlyn, who is 14 years old and has leukaemia. She had gone into remission, but unfortunately the cancer returned in November.
“She needs a bone marrow transplant and doctors are looking for a match. I am trying to see if we can run a drive on the side through The Sunflower Fund to find her a match. If they find a match, the transplant will cost between R500 000 and R1 000 000, which is only partly covered by medical aid. Even if somebody donates a hundred rand,” he said.
Buxton added he be will be running with a spare tennis ball, should he lose the other in the run.
“I’ve done two down runs with the ball and I’ve practiced a lot with the technique I’ve developed. I’m comfortable using both hands, I have dropped the ball once at the 78 kilometre mark of a down run and had to chase after it,” he laughed.
To learn more about his journey, visit his webiste www.bouncingwilson.co.za.
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