THE dust may have settled on the 98th edition of the Comrades Marathon but a young girl’s kind actions on race day are catching the attention of thousands across the country.

Maddyson Shepard’s actions have gone viral on social media after she was captured encouraging and running alongside Comrades Marathon runners at 45th Cutting.

In the video taken of the Northlands Primary School learner, she is seen assisting runners in the last hours of the iconic race.

Caroline Hockly, marketing and communications manager for the school, said that Maddyson is well known for her “kind and caring nature”.

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“She features as a favourite Holiday Club assistant where she helps her aunt with the programme every school holiday. Our littlest learners know her by name and often run to her for hugs when she attends to her monitor duties in the Grade One section of the school.

“Maddy is by nature a very shy young woman whose good heart and endless patience make her a very safe space for these little people. She grew up on the sidelines of many races, supporting her mum Katherine at Ironman events. Maddy is a keen sportswoman herself and takes part in hockey, netball and water polo. She has her own dreams of completing a Comrades herself one day. What struck us most about her actions was that it reflected the values that we strive to instil in all of our learners at Northlands Primary and how she embodied the very best of our school community,” Hockly said.

The Comrades Marathon is the oldest, largest and most iconic ultra-marathon in the world, attracting tens of thousands of local runners each year, along with thousands more from all over the world.

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