Tongaat stay-at-home mom is making her way around SA in 60 days

What is the length of South Africa’s coastline and inland borders?

Tongaat resident Amisha Lahldas (54) is part of a team that is running that distance, a staggering 6 803km in 60 days, all for a good cause.

Six runners from across the country have joined forces for the Fo4rHope GMF run, which sees funds raised for the Gregg Mitchley Foundation (GMF), which helps poor youth and the elderly countrywide.

Amisha was born in Maidstone but did not start running seriously until the age of 51.

A stay-at-home mom, she made the decision to get fit and found an extraordinary capability for long distance running.

“I started running in 2018 and had progressed to running half marathons in 6 months and full marathons within a year. In 2019, I qualified for the Comrades, but unfortunately could not run it due to lockdown,” she said.

She lists a solo run from Tongaat to the Tugela River mouth (72km) as her greatest running achievement yet.

The Fo4rHope GMF is a run for unity, with at least 1 runner from every major ethnic group in South Africa represented, namely black, white, Indian and coloured – which is where the 4 in the name comes from.

“We have hope for our future. If we can all work together under difficult and trying circumstances then we can take our beautiful country to the next level.”

The run starts and finishes at Alexandra Bay near the Namibian border, with the distance divided into 6 legs.

The runners have just completed the first leg, which saw them run to Cape Town (914km).

“We are 3 teams of 2 runners who split the distance on each day, which averages out at around 30-35km a day per runner. We all cover roughly a sixth of the distance, about 1 133km.”

There are also 10 full rest days.

Although the team has made good time, the exertion has taken a toll on Amisha, who was hospitalised for dehydration on November 8.

She has recovered and will be back on the road after a day of rest. After all, you do not run a half marathon every day without some serious willpower.

Runners and cyclists countrywide can join in on the fun virtually by matching the distance of any number of legs that Fo4rHope covers. Visit fo4rhope.co.za and follow the team live on the Fo4rHope GMF Facebook page.

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