The lunacy and the passion

For most people running the Comrades Ultra Marathon is akin to climbing Mount Everest and they will not even attempt it, but Roodekrans resident Michelle Mareé are setting off on 22 May to complete 10 ‘Comrades’ in 10 days.

Alongside the founder of the Ten10 Challenge, Hazel Moller, she will attempt to run between 86km and 90km every day culminating in participating in the 2015 Comrades Ultra Marathon on 30 May.

But what drives a human being to attempt something that borders on lunacy? The love of animals. Mareé, who originally hails from Pietermaritzburg and moved to the West Rand in 2012, says she is a running and an animal fanatic. When she discovered the challenge last year she knew she wanted to do it since the aim is to collect a R100 000 for Pet Empowerment in Townships (Pets).

“I am really a bit crazy when it comes to both animals and running. My husband gets upset with me because we forever have to stop to help injured animals and I even pick up the dead ones in order to drop them off at the veterinarian,” she laughed. “The same kind of obsessive compulsive disorder behaviour goes for my running. I get grumpy if I have to skip a day,” said Mareé.

“When I found out about Ten10 last year I just thought it was a phenomenal cause,” said the lean estate agent. To prove her love for animals she keeps four dogs, two cats and a parrot and says she would not mind fostering lost animals all the time.

Most of the ten day challenge is paid for out of Mareé and Moller’s own pockets but there were a few friendly small sponsors as well. The two woman’s husbands will act as their ‘seconds’, or then the support team, over the grueling 900 odd kilometres.

Mareé who finished two Comrades’ in under nine hours said with a smile she is not afraid but rather excited about the adventure that lies ahead and she will “probably be skipping the distance”. She is realistic though, admitting that she will have her off days.

“I am more of an aggressive runner where Hazel is more experienced when it comes to pacing so this time I want to try and enjoy the run more. I am also going to try and enjoy the Comrades and be less competitive,” said Mareé whose running ‘family’ on the West Rand is the Panorama Runners Club of which she speaks very highly of.

The two runners will leave from Bedfordview and their route can be seen on their Facebook page or at www.ten10.co.za. If any one wants to donate to their noble cause they can do it on the website or sms ‘donate’ to 40021. SMS’s cost R20.

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Also read: Comrades novices excited by challenge

Florida Running Club’s key to the Comrades

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