Come run with athletics legend Zola Budd
Pretoria boasts an exciting new mass participation 5km Run/Walk event following the launch of Run with Zola, a race which takes place at the Harlequins Rugby Club in Pretoria this coming Saturday, 28 June.
The event pays tribute to the legendary Zola Budd, who will also be in the field, while it will also raise awareness on gender-based violence.
The field for this race is capped at 5000 and for the convenience of participants, the race will only start at 09:00, which is later than the normal time for road races.
Zola Budd is a worldwide sporting icon. The barefoot prodigy broke numerous world records, became a symbol of South Africa's oppression and was infamously blamed for Mary Decker's Olympic fall in 1984.
'We would like South Africa to unite and come together with the Run with Zola initiative,' said event media manager, Ray de Vries, who coached and managed 14 Comrades winners during his illustrious career in the sport.
De Vries encouraged athletes of all ages to run or walk 5km and pay tribute to Budd. In doing so, they will also show unity as the road race community against gender-based violence.
According to De Vries the Harlequins club is a delightful venue for the inaugural event.
'It boasts ample parking and world class facilities. It's also centrally located in Pretoria. Zola has an excellent network and is one of the best known sporting personalities in South Africa and in many parts of the world. She has vast experience as a brand ambassador, coach and mentor. Many well-known personalities will join us for the run,' he remarked.
The Run with Zola initiative is passionately dedicated to creating awareness of for this campaign against gender-based violence.
'Everyone can take part in Run with Zola. It provides such a delightful platform. Wheelchairs, crutches and especially bare feet are welcome,' De Vries emphasized.
The organizers also want to establish this campaign as a celebration of the human spirit and the joy of running and walking.
'It's the coming together of South Africans for the common purpose of enjoying themselves and being part of something special,' De Vries commented.
For De Vries and the organizers, this is more than just a race.
'It is a time for us to do life differently and to start to dream again. Whether you are fat or thin or just want to give up smoking. Everyone from all social backgrounds is welcome to run together. Everyone can Run with Zola,' De Vries concluded.
Entries for Run with Zola are open at www.toptickets.co.za and limited to 5000 entries.
Do you have more information about the story?
Please send us an email to bennittb@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
TimesLIVE
36 minutes ago
- TimesLIVE
Teenage wonder boy Pretorius puts Proteas in charge with stunning 153
Lhuan-dre Pretorius showed why Shukri Conrad described him as a 'special' talent, becoming the seventh South African to score a hundred on his Test debut in Bulawayo on Saturday. In the process the 19 year old, also became the youngest South African to score a Test century, surpassing the previous record, held by the legendary Graeme Pollock, which he set it against Australia in 1964. Pretorius scored 153 off only 160 balls, rescuing the Proteas from a precarious position of 22/3 when he arrived at the crease. At stumps, the holders of the World Test Championship mace were 418/9, with Corbin Bosch completing his maiden Test hundred in the last over of the day. It was a remarkable turnaround by the South Africans whose stand-in captain Keshav Maharaj chose to bat, on a pitch he felt would help the seamers early before settling down later in the day. Maharaj was right, but he would not have anticipated how much his top order would struggle against high quality seam bowling from Blessing Muzarabani and Tanaka Chivanga. The latter picked up the first three wickets to fall, all caught in the slips, all of those dismissals the result of extra bounce Chivanga was able to extract with the new ball. Pretorius got his innings going with a straight six off the fourth ball he faced followed by a boundary that he thrashed through the covers off left-arm spinner Wellington Masakdaza and began changing the impetus of the innings with his aggressive approach. A mix up with Wiaan Mulder, saw SA lose a fourth wicket before lunch, but after the interval Pretorius and his Titans teammate Dewald Brevis, who like Pretorius was making his debut, dominated.
The Citizen
an hour ago
- The Citizen
Pretorius' history-making 153 helps SA finish strong on day one vs Zim
The Proteas finished day one on 418–9 thanks to Lhuan-dre Pretorius, who became the youngest South African to score a Test century on debut. Lhuan-dre Pretorius became the youngest South African to score a century on his Test debut. Picture: Richard Huggard/Gallo Images Teenager Lhuan-dre Pretorius announced himself on the world stage in emphatic style, becoming just the sixth South African to score a century on his Test debut – and the youngest to do so. Coming in at 23/3, the 19-year-old smashed 153 runs off 160 balls to salvage a South African innings teetering on the brink of ruin on day one of the first Test against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo on Saturday. Pretorius formed an attacking partnership with fellow debutant Dewald Brevis (51 off 41 balls). Together, they added 95 runs to stabilise the South Africans. Follwing the exit of Brevis and Verreynne (10), Pretorius formed a partnership of 108 with Corbin Bosch before he skied a pull shot and was caught off the bowling of Tanaka Chivanga. Chivanga was by far the most successful bowler for Zimbabwe, finishing with four wickets for 83 runs. Still, another century from Bosch (100 not out) saw the South Africans finish on 418–9 to carry momentum into day two on Sunday. Pretorius shines for Proteas Zimbabwe had a perfect start, Chivanga taking the wickets of Tony de Zorzi (0), Matthew Breetze (13) and David Bedingham (0) while Wiaan Mulder (17) was run out to leave South Africa capitulating at 55–4. In contrast to his senior teammates, Pretorius was cool and composed, middling just about every lusty blow as he struck 11 fours and four sixes. He maintained his strike rate by running ones, twos and threes between boundaries. Credit must also go to Brevis for his half-century at a strike rate of 124. He targeted boundaries more than Pretorius, hitting three fours and four sixes to stun the Zimbabwe bowling attack. This is South Africa's first tour of Zimbabwe since 2014. While Zimbabwe had a breakthrough Test win over Bangladesh in April, it was just one Test win out of three in the last 10 years (others vs Afghanistan in 2021 and Bangladesh in 2018). Zimbabwe have never beaten South Africa in a Test match.
The Citizen
7 hours ago
- The Citizen
East swimming brothers chase global greatness
As we are still celebrating Youth Month, two brothers from Nieuw Muckleneuk are proving that the future of South African swimming is bright. They will be representing both South Africa and the University of Pretoria (Tuks) at the World University Games in Germany and the AUSC Region 5 Youth Games in Namibia in July. Owethu (20) and Tumelo Mahan (18) are student-athletes at Tuks. While Owethu is pursuing a BCom in Informatics and Tumelo is working toward his BCom in marketing, their discipline and passion in the pool have set them apart as athletes to watch. 'We really do push one another to get faster,' said Owethu. 'It's great knowing someone is always close behind in the next lane.' He said it's mostly competitive, but they try to support each other. Owethu added there's always that challenge to see who can go faster. 'We actually started out playing football,' he said. 'However, swimming became our focus after we took lessons for water safety. We ended up loving it.' Owethu's biggest goal in swimming is to get to the highest level he can and see how far he can take his career. What's just as important to him is teaching people how to swim. 'It's a life skill everyone should have. 'I've been around the world, seen so many places, done so many things, and it's all thanks to just getting in the pool every day.' Owethu said at Tuks, they have a strong support system. 'There are always multiple coaches on deck, ready to help you reach your goals.' Tumelo, who is equally committed, has a strong drive to give back. 'When it's time to study, I'm all in with my studies. When it's time to train, I focus on training,' he said. 'I'm a man of faith.' Tumelo believes life is important with God, and decreasing the drowning statistics in South Africa is a personal mission. He added that water safety should be a right in this country, because people drown every day. Tumelo chose to study at Tuks because it's one of the top universities, especially for what he is studying. 'TuksSport setup feels like a family. The coaching staff, the dietitians, the sports scientists and everyone are there to support you.' He added that inspiring young people to become water-safe is a huge part of why he swims. Tumelo said anybody can get involved in the TuksSport lifestyle from a young age. 'You don't have to be an elite swimmer to start.' Their father, Dana Mahan, says it best: 'My wife and I often have to remind our sons that they're children first, conquerors second'. As they continue training through the winter, the brothers carry not only the hopes of their team and family but also the dreams of a generation. Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to bennittb@ or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
