Walking tall for 775km
Three women surprised many people with their sheer guts and determination by completing a mammoth 775km journey across a large section of Spain, on foot.
For 33 days, Benoni resident Frances Steel (70), Rina Bekker (68, of Sunninghill) and Dorothy van Heerden (71, of Edenvale) traversed Spain, completing the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage.
Every year, pilgrims embark on the journey to the shrine of the apostle St James the Great, in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, in Galicia.
The trio undertook the feat from August 28 till September 30, but not without doubtful participants.
Frances said fellow pilgrims were sceptical that “The Golden Girls of South Africa”, as they affectionately became known, would ever finish the distance they set out to complete.
“People passed us and and I am sure they thought that this is the last time we will see those people,” said Frances.
“This was because we were older and they were going faster.
“…We kept going and kept going, and two days later, they said ‘you girls are still on the road’?
“We said: yeah, we are going to finish this – we are still on the road.”
People took photos of the Golden Girls and shared them on their Facebook pages.
About 100km from the end, the women wrote the date on which they started and at which location on the back of their shirts .
Despite their age, Frances said much younger pilgrims had to exit the journey due to broken ankles and blisters brought about by the rugged terrain.
She said they were, fortunately, not seriously hurt, but knew they had to finish what they set out to do.
Covering an average distance of about 23km per day, the trio slept at a different hostel every night.
Frances said it took some time getting used to this set up, as men and women shared rooms and bathrooms.
“That was a bit mind-boggling for us to begin with,” she explained.
“You know, it was a little bit off-putting, but eventually, we just got use to it.”
She said her highlight was the day she celebrated her birthday, on September 20.
On this day, the three women managed to have their clothes (two shirts and two shorts each) washed in a washing machine by someone.
The friends would normally hand wash their clothes, but, in this instance, were fortunate to have them washed and dried for them.
Frances is no stranger to walking.
In the past 14 years she has racked up 18 705km and was a participant in the 1 000km Challenge a Year.
She achieved 12 gold medals, one bronze and silver medal in the 14 years.
Despite racking up thousands of kilometres over the years, Frances said it was the first and last time she will take on the gruelling 775km walk.
The friends have pledged R5 000 to the South African Guide Dog Association and welcome anyone who will help them to raise more money.
