Runner tackles Comrades for charity
Belly2Brain’s Cage2Unchange initiative is gaining traction after a local runner completed the Comrades Marathon, inspiring support for their Mandela Day hunger relief campaign.
Among the thousands of athletes who competed at this year’s Comrades Marathon was Richard le Roux, participating for his seventh time, all for a good cause.
• Also read: Khosa Road Runners cross the finish line at the Comrades
Dominique Tibbles, founder of Belly2Brain NPO, said that this year, Richard donned his running shoes and gave his heart and soul for a purpose – running to raise funds for the Belly2Brain annual Cage2Unchange Sandwich Day initiative, held from July 15 to 18 at Cradlestone Mall.
During this time, I will be locked in a cage for 67 hours to raise funds for Belly2Brain, to feed 17 000 mouths on July 18,” she revealed.
“Richard became a Belly2Brain volunteer in August last year when we undertook a 5km silent walk against human trafficking. Richard and his son volunteered for the silent walk; since then, Richard and his wife have attended every Belly2Brain outreach, dedicating their time to support the cause – he even offered his 2025 Comrades achievement as a pay-per-km sponsorship for his run in aid of raising funds for the R104 000 budget to purchase the 2 500 loaves of bread, 500kg of peanut butter, and 1 000kg of jam,” she added.
She confirmed that Richard successfully completed the race in 11 hours and 31 minutes, raising R11,400 towards the Cage2Unchange budget, which will cover half the bread required, marking a great start to the initiative.
“Belly2Brain is calling on all corporates who are required to fulfil their annual Corporate Social Investment (CSI) spend, as well as individuals, to partner with Belly2Brain and join in the noble effort of feeding 17 000 people this July. Belly2Brain is a registered S18A NPO.
The beneficiaries who will collect sandwiches at the end of the spread on July 18 include Cradle of Hope, Hoërskool Nic Diedericks Feeding Programme, Wings of Inspiration, God’s Love to Our World for Zandspruit, and Bethany House,” she said.
Dominique concluded by urging volunteers to visit the cage between July 15 and 17 at Cradlestone Mall and to keep an eye on their social media pages to stay updated on events taking place around the cage, and to help spread the love on July 18 from 08:00 to 15:00.
If you would like to learn more about this cause or wish to donate, call Dominique on 074 183 5929.
