Tembisa lad runs to save abused dogs

Tumelo Mokobane has a soft spot for animals and will take part in a run to raise funds for those in distress.

Also read: New record set for Tembisa race

The expert runner said on May 26 he will be taking part in the Ten 10 run to raise awareness of abused township animals.

The race will be run over ten days and started on May 26 to June 4, and will cover a distance of 900km, the same distance as 10 Comrades Marathons.

“I am ready and I feel good physically. I have to work on my mental side because that is where I met a challenge in last year’s Ten 10 run,” he told the Tembisan a few days before the start of the Ten 10 run.

Tumelo Mokobane is running the race for the second time; last year he bailed out of the eighth run but completed the final marathon.

“In total I ran 720 kilometres. This year I have to complete the entire race and raise more money for the campaign. This year I did a lot of mileage during my training,” said Tumelo.

He said this year he is more focused.

Asked about the reason for the Ten 10 charity race, he said it is an event in which runners are raising funds for Pet South Africa and Under Dogs in Pretoria, which are both animal shelters.

“They are township empowerment groups which look after abused dogs from different townships. We are also raising food for those shelters.”

He said the major issues are that people get their dogs into dog fights and abuse dogs by keeping them for breeding.

He said his concern began during his regular training runs in the townships.

“I would see stray dogs. Many of those dogs are in a bad state and they are not taken to vets. I thought someone had to do something.

“When I got the opportunity I decided to step up and do the right thing,” said Tumelo.

He said he was introduced to the race by fellow runner Hazel Moller, who also runs the Ten 10 charity race.

Tumelo started running in 1999 as a learner at Tembisa High School under the guidance of Ludwick Mamabolo, the 2012 Comrades Marathon winner.

He said he was subsequently introduced to ultra-distance running by fellow runner Eric Wright.

“I ran my first 12-hour circuit race and my first 100-miler and I won.

“I took first place in the 12-hour run and took fourth place in the 100 mile,” said Tumelo.

“That is the same year, 2007, when I ran my first Comrades Marathon, where I ran 8 hours and 44 minutes.”

He said in 2015 he had an accident and stopped running for a while. He got back into running in January 2016, when he met Hazel, who is the inspiration behind the Ten 10 race.

Tumelo implored businesses and individuals to donate towards the campaign.

He said the Ten 10 campaign can be followed on Twitter or people can visit their website to track their journey live at www.ten10.co.za.