KNYSNA NEWS - A group of local runners came together on Sunday 18 July for a special run in commemoration of Nelson Mandela Day.
The 11 runners gathered at the top of the Simola Hill in the early hours of Sunday morning when temperatures were in the low single digits and near-freezing. But, armed with enough warm gear and the knowledge that they'd soon be working up a sweat on the trails, the cold could not stave off the eager runners.
They set off at 07:00 along the seemingly never-ending single trails that snake their way through the forests.
The trails, coupled with the forest roads, made for an expectedly testing 18km of running that ended at the starting point.
But, at the end of the run their day was not done just yet and their work had only just begun. Once they had cooled off from the run the 11 athletes armed themselves with gloves and bags to tackle the litter along the edges of Old Cape Road.
Covering 2km of the road, they successfully carried out their 67 minutes of community service for Mandela Day. "I was sad to see how much litter there was," said Melikhaya Msizi, one of the participants and captain of the Knysna Marathon Club.
Sandisile Tshaka, Marlon Mortlock, James Ngxale, Andani Makhale, and Melikhaya Msizi all taking part in the run.
"There really was a lot of litter. Even after completing what we could, there was still a lot left." Nevertheless Msizi felt they had success and was "proud to do his part for Mandela Day".
He thanked those who took part in the run and clean-up, as well all the sponsors who made it possible for them to carry out their 67 minutes.
Melikhaya Msizi hard at work.
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