Carri-Ann Botha will be running the Comrades Marathon to raise funds for Qhubeka. This sports lover knows Qhubeka’s work well – she’s the Team Manager for the Qhubeka Academy. She says that the fact that she works for Qhubeka and that she loves cycling made Qhubeka the obvious choice for her when she decided to raise money for a charity through her Comrades run this year. She believes helping to put more people on bicycles will help them to achieve their dreams.
Carri-Ann started cycling in 2003 to keep fit and healthy and soon discovered a passion for the sport. In 2005, she began taking part in Triathlons, and has since completed numerous Half Ironman Distance races and three Ironman races, as well as her first Comrades Marathon in 2012.
“Last year I did Comrades as a bet I had made with someone in 2011, so to uphold my word I ran Comrades 2012,” she says. “Last year was tough. I am not a natural runner, so I took serious strain, but I finished with 11 minutes to spare.”
The Comrades Marathon is an annual race between Durban and Pietermaritzburg in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal Province, covering 87km. In 2012, the race was run downhill from Pietermartizburg to Durban, and in 2013, it will be run uphill, with the start and end points reversed, as happens every alternate year.
“After last year’s event, I was told that you have not done a Comrades until you have run both the ‘Up’ and ‘Down’ runs,” says Carri-Ann. “Naturally, I knew I had to now run the ‘Up’ run in 2013 and, with the allure of a Back to Back Medal (given to novice runners who complete the ‘Up’ and ‘Down’ runs in successive years), I knew I would be lining up on that start line come Sunday 2 June. I have been training and racing triathlons until March, so had a good fitness base when I started training purely for Comrades.”
Carri-Ann’s goal is to complete the race and if possible do it in less than 11 hours. She hopes to raise R4 000 for Qhubeka – enough to buy two brand new bicycles and helmets for deserving Qhubeka recipients who’ve earned them.
To support Carri-Ann by contributing towards her Comrades fundraising efforts, you can make a donation in her name through her Back-a-Buddy page, with the bank details below (using Carri-Ann as a reference), or through PayPal.
Qhubeka bank details:
Account Name: Qhubeka
Bank: Nedbank
Account number: 1034335294
Branch Name: Business North Rand
Branch Code: 146905
If you’re riding an event and you’d like to raise funds for Qhubeka, consider riding on us.
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