Mooifontein Primary School colour run brings Birch Acres community together

Laerskool Mooifontein Primary School opened its gates to learners, parents and the community for a colour run and market on October 17.

The school was full of colour and cheerful spirits, and parents had the opportunity to run with their children, enjoying bonding time together.

While the run and market aimed to bring parents, children, teachers and the supporting community together, the initiative also raised funds for the school.

Another goal was to boost the economy in Birch Acres. This was the school’s third event, but previously the school did not combine the colour run with a market day.

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“We had close to 450 participants and 500 people on the ground, and October 17 was in the middle of the month, but with a hectic exam term ahead we had to host it, as the end of last month was a holiday,” said one of the Laerskool Mooifontein Primary School colour run organisers, Pieter van der Merwe.

Learners and parents, mostly from Laerskool Mooifontein Primary, came in large numbers to support this initiative.

The day was filled with laughter and positivity, and participants, together with the community, enjoyed both the colour run and the market, which offered a variety of items to choose from, including food, toys and crafts.

Athlete Thabiso Mothogoane stood out as he finished first in the boys’ 7km and overall.

“I just came here for fun and to see how fast other runners were and see if I can finish before them or not. It was nice and fun to run with everyone and also leading the race with a huge gap, it felt very good and the colours stood out for me,” said Mothogoane.

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The market offered food, toys, drinks, a play area in the hall and stalls. Entrepreneurs were invited to come and sell goods to support people striving to make a living.

The runners enjoyed the event, with teachers on street corners throwing powder to add to the colour-run atmosphere and ensure the safety of runners, especially learners.

Runners reported feeling safe as vehicles patrolled the routes, with TRSS Security assisting to prevent danger.

“Sometimes, we are not active with our children, they no longer play sports so we have limited resources for them to do all these activities so I was mostly encouraged that it will be an activity that I will do with the girls so it is good for all the parents to participate in all the activities the school does and support the school with their initiatives.

“The run was beautiful; we started together with the girls, and after around 2km they said they were tired. I run and walk, on Saturdays, I did my 10km, but today we decided to do 5km.

“The support from the other parents and children was amazing, and I enjoyed running with this group. It was safer, we saw the security and teachers with their cars to ensure our safety, and that meant a lot to me as a parent. I enjoyed the colours,” said Laerskool Mooifontein Primary School parent Nikiwe Sigabi.

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One of the challenges the school faced was predicted storm activity, but despite initial preparations, the day ended up hot and the weather proved ideal for the colour run and market.

Another challenge was late arrivals, but the school extended the race and the time teachers spent along the route.

“I wanted to participate because it is a part of school activity and I wanted to be part of the activity. The run was good; I didn’t really like the colours because there was powder in my eye. I enjoyed participating with others and I am happy and excited that I finished first in the girls’ category,” said Laerskool Mooifontein Primary School learner Phathu Nengwenani.

The school plans to expand the event to include running enthusiasts across Kempton Park next time, encouraging residents to support local initiatives and buy from stalls to boost small businesses rather than travelling further afield.

Grade Seven learner Alwande Madonsela finished second overall and first in the 5km, aiming to test his limits.

“I wanted to join the run to go beyond my limits because I knew that I can do more than what I did in the D17. I loved the run and it was pretty good. My mother encouraged me to do 5km, hence I chose it instead of 7km. I think like everyone else, I enjoyed the colours the most and the fact that I felt free while running,” Madonsela said.