Fairland resident David Barnard recently returned home from a race called “the last desert race”, where he ran in the Antarctic snow to raise funds and awareness for a Greenpeace community solar project.
Barnard sees climate change as one of the biggest challenges facing the African continent.
“We aim to raise R250 000, which will be used for a solar street lighting project in Diepsloot, north of Johannesburg. It will create a sense of community safety and empower people living in an area without electricity,” he said.
A little over R27 000 has been raised to date.
According to Barnard, solar energy is an exceptional alternative, especially in a country that depends on coal-generated energy supply.
“I am advocating for the use of renewable energy, specifically solar, which South Africa has an abundance of.”
“The fourth stage of the race was cancelled because of the weather. The sea was so rough and we could not get off the ship.”
As a result of the abysmal climate conditions, runners could not run the intended 250km.
The winner of the race made it to about 170km and Barnard 130km, which placed him 15th in the race out of 69 participants.
“Because of the snow, it is a slower race and the depth of the snow and wind conditions affect the speed. With the time we spent running, we could have ran 250km if it was a dry race.
“On day two of the race I ran for five hours, but only covered 17km, and that still placed me in the top 20 – which shows how difficult it was.”
This is Barnards’ sixth desert race where he has supported different causes.
“I have done a bit of road running and Comrades Marathons in the early 2000s. I got to a point where I had enough of those and I decided doing South Africa’s desert Kalahari race. I thought it was interesting and a different type of experience. Two is the maximum I can do per year.
“Usually, I come home and my feet are sore and I can’t walk for a couple of days. Running in the snow was difficult in many ways but because of the soft conditions, my feet did not get blisters.”
Barnard intends to continue racing for charity in the future.
To read a detailed account of his adventure visit https://www.greenpeace.org/africa/Antarctic/ and to donate, visit https://www.givengain.com/activist/55367/projects/8594/
