WHAT started out as fitness challenge to keep the boredom of lockdown at bay, turned into a charitable initiative when a few friends decided to donate money to charity, while staying active.
The 21.1km Lockdown Half Marathon Challenge was the brainchild of Norman Silke from Port Elizabeth.
“I have done a bit of running around our house (during lockdown) to continue with my training and then decided that I wanted to start a WhatsApp group with some of my friends and challenge them to do a bit of running,” Silke said.
He then decided to challenge his friends to do a half marathon (21.1 km) in their own yards. The challenge took place this past Saturday.
“It was just a fun challenge to start off with and then my wife, Lizel, got the idea of us raising money for charity and then our WhatsApp group grew to about 18 people. We also created a Facebook group,” Silke said.
Participants who did not want to compete in the half marathon category, could take part in a 5km or 10km fun run.
“We even had a participant who is on crutches. He had an operation on his ankle a while ago and he went around his swimming pool a couple of times and he did a few laps in the swimming pool,” he said.
He added that his mother, Elsa Silke (68), from Strand in the Western Cape, also took part in the challenge and walked 10km in her garden. “My brother, Michael, who is from Stellenbosch, did 30km on a stationary bicycle, so we had people from all over (the country) taking part.”
There was only one rule during the challenge: participants were not allowed to leave their homes.
“We are in lockdown. You cannot go out in the street or run/walk in a complex. You must stay on your own property,” Silke explained on Facebook.
Asked how he experienced doing his first half marathon – and that in his own backyard – Silke said it was difficult.
“It is extremely tough to do a half marathon in your yard, although I saw in a newspaper that a guy from Hermanus did 100km – I don’t know how he did that!” Silke added.
“Myself and a colleague, Morné Steyn, do a bit of running so we are used to it, but my wife, for the first time ever, decided she is going to do a half marathon and she did so well.”
The Silkes chose SOS Children’s Villages South Africa as their beneficiary.
Mandy Spies, the head of fund development (interim) of SOS Children’s Villages SA, welcomed this initiative and said they depended on their donors to provide the resources needed to help South Africa’s most marginalised children and their families.
“SOS Children’s Villages is following the government’s instructions and have put strict measures in place to protect the children in our care, our staff and everybody they may come into contact with. Now, more than ever, those who are most vulnerable will be the ‘hardest hit’.
“Children who have lost parental care, or are at risk of losing it, are among the most vulnerable in society.
“We are bracing ourselves for the impact of the Coronavirus (Covid-19). This will have the most devastating effects on children, who, without you and SOS Children’s Villages, may not have a loving home, warm bed and daily meals,” Spies said.
So far more than R3 000 was raised as part of the 21.1km challenge and Silke said they were hoping for more donations.
- If you would like to donate to the SOS Children’s Villages SA, you can make a payment to the following account:
Funds Development Unit SOS SA
Nedbank (Current Account)
Account: 1984563068
Branch Code: 198765
Reference: 21LockdownHM
