Ndwedwe athlete mentored by famous trail runner Ryan Sandes hopes to inspire with local short film
Sinovuyo Ngcobo says many runners with potential never get the breakthrough to go further.
The premiere of a local short film, Gijima, will be screened at LIV Village at Cottonlands on June 11, starring Ndwedwe runner Sinovuyo Ngcobo.
The film by Dean Leslie of production company Wandering Fever, focuses on Sinovuyo’s life as a runner and the mentorship he received from iconic South African trail runner Ryan Sandes.
Ryan in 2010 became the first runner in the world to have won all four of the 4 Deserts races, each a six- to seven-day 250km self-supported footrace through the Atacama Desert (Chile), the Gobi Desert (Mongolia/China), the Sahara (Egypt) and Antarctica.
The film covers Sinovuyo’s journey from early childhood to running the Otter trail in the Garden Route (2021), his dream race, and sharing a mentorship journey with Sandes.
The duo come from two different worlds, but were united through their shared love of the sport.
Apart from his own running, Sinovuyo also coaches young athletes and provides them with the opportunity of following their dreams through the LIV2Run initiative, founded by local athlete Lindi Meyer.
Meyer opened up the coaching avenue for Sinovuyo through a mentorship programme.
This reignited his passion for running at the time Lindi introduced him to Ryan, who was looking to mentor athletes at the village.
LIV2Run forms part of LIV Village, a safe haven for vulnerable children.
During filming, Sinovuyo showed Ryan around his hometown and shared his world, which had a significant impact.
“I felt that perhaps I got more from the mentorship than Sinovuyo did,” said Ryan.
The 27-year-old athlete said being mentored by one of his heroes had been an amazing experience.
“It opened my eyes in many ways, and with the movie I think it will bring hope. We have so many different backgrounds as people, and as runners,” he said.
“So, I hope to inspire every runner that walked a similar path to mine, showing them nothing is impossible.”
The pre-premiere screening will run from 12.30-3pm at LIV Village, Durban. RSVP at run@liv-village.com | kane.r@salomonsports.co.za.
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