Pirates 2 Pirates celebrates two iconic clubs with a run
GREENSIDE – Runners took part in an event where they could enjoy a run through various suburbs to raise funds.
The annual Pirates 2 Pirates training run recently took place where bout 400 runners took to the streets of Soweto and ran 22km all the way to Greenside.
The event, now in its eighth year, is a fundraising collaboration between Pirates Road Running and the Motlana Branch of the Orlando Pirates Supporters Club. Runners make their way to the home of Orlando Pirates, Orlando Stadium and finish at Pirates Club to raise funds for their respective causes and to foster the relationship between these two iconic clubs.
Pirates Road Running chairperson, Natalie Mills, said the event is not a race. It was just a good day out on the road with no road closures, no marshals and no medals. The main attraction is the experience of the vibe as residents come out and cheer the runners along.”
The club’s members were out in full force helping at the water tables and playing host at the Greenside clubhouse after the run. Mills explained that every year, the run alternates between an ‘up’ run from Greenside to Soweto and a ‘down’ run in the opposite direction.
The route back to Greenside takes the runners through the suburbs of Diepkloof and Orlando, past Nasrec, the FNB Stadium, the Abraham Kriel Orphanage, Brixton Police Station, University of Johannesburg, Oom Paul se Kop on the side of Melville Koppies, and through 7th Street in Melville. This year the event also included a slightly shorter route that started at the FNB Stadium to accommodate runners who would rather attempt a 14km run or walk on the day.
“This year the money raised will be going toward the Pirates Club Recovery Fund to benefit staff or infrastructure that suffered as a result of lockdown,” said Mills.
The Motlana Branch of the Orlando Pirates Supporters Club will be using their portion of the funds to help the Vukani Learning Centre in Soweto.
