South Africans do it for Madiba in the second Kaya FM 67km Relay for Mandela Day, Johannesburg, 13 July 2014 (Photo: Nelson Mandela Day)
More than 17 000 runners participated in the second Kaya FM 67km Relay for Mandela Day in Johannesburg on Sunday, creating the biggest corporate relay ever seen in Africa.
Over 1 700 teams took part, each 10-person team running 67 kilometres – each team member running 6.7 kilometres – to pay tribute to the 67 years that Nelson Mandela dedicated to South Africa’s liberation from apartheid.
“Today should remind us of who we were and who we want to be,” Nelson Mandela Foundation CEO Sello Hatang told participants at the event.
“If Tata was here, he would be smiling at the effort everyone has put into this day. Funds raised from today’s event will be used to preserve and digitise Nelson Mandela’s papers – the oldest of which dates back to 1929 – for generations to come.
“Madiba’s commitment to service is at the heart of this race, and we look forward to growing this event even further in years to come,” Hatang said.
Kaya FM MD Greg Maloka described the relay as “a remarkable event that honours the work of our Tata and celebrates 20 years of freedom. This event is about so much more than the relay – it is about the human spirit.”
Several corporate relay teams took home trophies and medals for winning their respective categories, and Telkom was applauded for having the largest number of teams – 67 – taking part in the relay.
The Nedbank Running Club took gold in the men’s open relay category for the second year running, with Monama Pharmacy winning the women’s open relay title. In the mixed category, Discovery Athletic Club took gold.
