The Comrades Marathon has become an iconic sporting event on the international athletics calendar, but on Friday, 1 June 2012, a group of athletes will tackle their own super-sized version of the ultra-marathon.
It’s never lonely in the Valley of 1000 Hills!
Setting off from Pietermaritzburg, 32 athletes will participate in the Valley Run, a 112km non-stop trail run through the Valley of 1000 Hills, ending at Blue Lagoon in Durban.
The Valley Run was first held in 2011 and is organised by the Mamu Loman Federation. This year, the event is being held to support and raise funds for The Unlimited Child, a non-profit organisation focussing on early childhood development.
The Unlimited Child promotes the correct stimulation of young children by providing educational toys, caregiver training and ongoing support to crèches in underprivileged areas. Most of the organisation’s work has been in the Valley of 1000 Hills where it has reached 20 000 children, 751 caregivers and 252 crèches.
“The Unlimited Child was the perfect match for us,” explains adventurer Andrew King, one of the founders of the Mamu Loman Federation. “As our route for the Valley Run is through the Valley of 1000 Hills, we wanted to support an initiative that is giving back to this community and the great work being done by The Unlimited Child delivers on all fronts.”
The decision to support The Unlimited Child came about as the athletes participating in the Valley Run view the endeavour as an opportunity to give back to the community. “The guys and girls who make up the Mamu Loman Federation are a mix of accomplished and recreational athletes who are united through a common attitude towards life. We add our own unique twist to existing ultra endurance events and thus push our own and society’s accepted limits. Ultimately, we are out to have some fun, get active and do some really worthwhile fundraising while we’re at it ,” says King.
The line-up for the Valley Run also includes Sean Wisedale who has two trips to the South Pole under his belt as well as being the first African to scale the highest summit on each of the seven continents around the world, including Everest; Ironman finisher Chester Foster who also competed in the G4 Global Challenge; Wim Van Herzeele, a past Camel Trophy Winner, and Devlin Fogg who has covered the distance from the North Pole to the South Pole using his own human power. For the first time this year, the Valley Run will also include an invitational guest team from Zimbabwe.
Cassy Healey, CEO of The Unlimited Child, says they are thrilled that the Manu Loman Federation are throwing their weight behind the organisation. “We believe that the work we are doing will change the future for South Africa. Our goal is to reach 1,2 million children by 2016 and it’s through the support of events such as the Valley Run, that we will be able to raise the money required to do this,” Healey explains.
For more information or to donate, visit www.theunlimitedchild.co.za.