Running for passion and charity

After watching a programme about a guy who ran the length of England, Umdloti running couple, Kevin Burley and Phindi Gule, were inspired to do something similar.

“I looked at the distance along the KZN coastline and after about six route drafts, I came up with the magical figure of 900 kilometres,” said Burley, who moved to SA from England about 12 years ago and has since completed five Comrades Marathons.

“I always said I wanted to run for someone else in my next marathon. We visited LIV Village around Christmas time last year and the children stole our hearts. After understanding what the village does for them and the community, we knew the purpose of our run would be to raise money for LIV.”

On April 1, the couple started running – 30 kilometres a day for 30 days – from Kosi Bay to Port Edward.

“The first couple of days were tough, it was about 38 degrees in Kosi. The tar was melting under our feet. I am a Brit, so I struggle with the heat and although Phindi does not mind it, she does not like the sun.”

They have run on tar, in shoe deep mud, dirt and rain.

“The hardest part was staying motivated. Getting up each morning when the alarm goes off and you just want to hit the snooze button. If we did not have our crew waiting for us, we probably would have stayed in bed a few times.”

Gule said they had a fantastic crew who gave them the support and training they needed to get through.

“After a day of running, everything hurts and I always wonder how I will start again tomorrow. Luckily, we have been taught recovery techniques and the next morning, our bodies feel fresh again.”

The couple, who were married in October 2014, said the run has not been plain sailing all the time.

“When people are tired, they get ratty. We had one or two really awesome fights on the road, but after a few kilometres of silence, everything was OK again,” said Burley.

Regardless, the couple powered through because, besides raising money for LIV, they were also driven by three goals.

“SA is rated the third worst country in the world for obesity. We want to inspire people to lead a healthier lifestyle. Secondly, we want to use this run to showcase KZN and highlight the lesser known spots. The third reason is that we are both business coaches and we have to walk to the talk. We encourage our clients to stretch themselves, so we have to do the same.”

To make a donation, go to their Facebook page – Runkznwithus or check out the website www.phindigule.co.za and look for the Run KZN with US tab.

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