The first-ever NWU virtual fun run was a thoroughly enjoyable experience for both young and old at local, national and even international level.
Altogether, 1088 people entered for the event on Saturday, 16 May, with 603 runners successfully submitting their times online after their early morning run in the allocated period from 06:00 to 09:00.
Anyone could enter in this open event and competitors gleefully submitted pre- and post-run pictures on social media with the #NWUVirtualRun.
The entries came from as far and wide as Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Germany, Australia and China, as former South Africans and NWU alumni also put on their running shoes.
One former NWU alumnus and old Potchefstroomer, Benninghoff Siebert and his wife, Girda, got a pleasant surprise after their five-kilometre run in Craddock.
Their two sons, HB (9) and Andries (7) built special trophies from Lego blocks that they presented to their parents.
“It was such a nice surprise. Normally, the boys also jog with us, but this time it was a bit cold that early in the morning, so they decided to stay at home.
“This was quite a nice initiative and it was fantastic to be part of the virtual run as a former student and Puk,” stated Siebert, whose parents still live in Potchefstroom.
A well-known runner and long-distance athlete from Potchefstroom, Robert de Villiers, won the senior men’s category and liked the concept of the race and the overall feeling of being out on the open road again.
“It is a great initiative from the NWU and it was good to see that more people than usual were outside on Saturday.
Exercise is necessary for people and it also keeps us sane,” he said. “With the coronavirus pandemic, there are currently no races, so it’s nice to have something to keep that competitive feeling of a race.
It would be great if it could be hosted monthly, with pre-planned dates, then we could prepare as well. All in all, I really enjoyed every minute of it,” De Villiers added.
Here are the respective winners:
1. Junior Men (9–19): Armand van Dyk
2. Junior Women (9–19): Jolandi de Beer
3. Senior Men (20–39): Robbie de Villiers
4. Senior Women (20–39): Bianca le Grange
5. Veteran Men (40–49): Risimati Hobyane
6. Veteran Women (40–49): Daleen van der Merwe
7. Master Men (50–59): Nico Deerling
8. Master Women (50–59): Mpho Mahlakoleng
9. Grand Master Men (60–69): Boeta Pretorius
10. Grand-Master Women (60–69): Lesley Wood
11. Great-Grand Master Men (70+): Chris Hattingh
12. Great-Grand Master Women (70+): René Tepper.
