Ladies tackle Comrades for SPCA
Three determined women will be raising funds for the Kloof and SPCA by tackling the daunting Comrades Marathon.
FOREST Hills Athletic Club runners, Lindi Liebenberg, Bernadette Stokes and Leanne Pollock are doing it for charity as they tackle the gruelling Comrades Marathon.
Lindi decided she would like to raise money for the Kloof and Highway SPCA and that this would be the perfect opportunity to do so.
“I have always wanted to help the SPCA but never had the funds to do it before so I thought this would be a good idea and the others agreed,” explained Lindi.
This will be the first Comrades Marathon for Lindi and Bernadette and Leanne’s third. They are all excited but nervous for the race and are just hoping to finish, although Leanne would love to better her times of 10.50 and 10.55.
“I know what’s ahead so I am nervous but excited. You never know what’s going to happen but if I can better my times that would be great,” said Leanne. Bernadette added, “I am so, so scared but also excited. We ‘ve spent a long time training and have probably spent more time together than we have with our husbands and boyfriend.”
The two novices have spent a lot of time looking to Leanne and their fellow Forest Hills members for advice and support.
“The club has been great and members who have run the Comrades before are keen to give us advice which we have been sucking up and absorbing,” said Lindi
Although they would like to run the race together they are all realistic that things may not go as planned so they are just going to take the race as it comes. Lindi and Bernadette who are in a different batch to Leanne are hoping to catch her up but will see what the day holds.
“There is no set plan of action, whoever is feeling strong must just go. We stuck together on the route tester which was great as Leanne has the experience,” said Lindi. Bernadette concurred, “It will be great to stick together but I am also looking forward to the comraderie and advice of runners along the way.”
They are hoping to raise a collective amount of R6000 for the Kloof and Highway SPCA.
“If everyone donated R30 which is the cost of the SPCA purchasing a fleece blanket for an animal, imagine how many blankets we could collect with R6000,” said Lindi.
Anyone interested in sponsoring the runners can visit the website – www.DoIt4Charity.co.za and click on the runners profile:
Alternatively, contact Lindi on 083 716 1646, Bernadette on 082 770 0267 or Leanne on 083 631 2709.
