This year SPAR is encouraging all participants to count their blessings.

Taking stock of everything you have to be grateful for can be very liberating and empowering – which is exactly what the SPAR Women’s Challenge is all about.

The concept of gratitude has some very powerful connotations of “paying it forward” and in this spirit SPAR North Rand announced a special mentorship programme at this year’s launch.

As one of the race ambassadors, top runner and 2016 Comrades Marathon winner, Charne Bosman will be mento­ring a young up-and-coming but underprivileged runner.

The young runner who Charne will be taking under wing is 17-year-old ­Lungile Christina Ngomane, a grade 10 pupil attending Hans Kekana High School, in Hammanskraal.

As a single parent, Lungile’s mother works tirelessly to provide for Lungile and her younger sister.
Unfortunately recent circumstances have resulted in Lungile having to stop running and competing in races despite the fact that she was doing very well.

She competed in the Athletics Gauteng North team on numerous occasions including the Interprovincial 5km race in 2014 that was held in conjunction with the Pretoria SPAR Women’s Challenge, in which her team came second.

Currently, Lungile is doing everything in her power to pass Grade 10. She has to walk several kilometres every Saturday to attend extra school classes.

Speaking at the official race launch during which the mentorship programme was announced, Charne explained that mentorships like this are so important for the upliftment of female runners and athletes in South Africa.

“This is such a privilege for me and I am so glad that SPAR has decided to move forward with this initiative because I think that as young runner something like this would have meant a lot for me and my future career. I am looking forward to giving 100% to this project and to Lungile.”

Charne will be guiding Lungile on her running performance, helping her to get sponsored running equipment and will be handing down years of valuable professional running experience.

“I want to teach Lungile that a dream is not something that happens overnight. I want to encourage her to keep going and to carry on dreaming big. I want to show her new perspectives, not just in running, but in life. A winner is not just someone who wins a race but someone who overcomes life’s challenges – I want all young runners to know this.”

Support the SPAR Women’s Challenge gratitude campaign by liking the SPAR Women’s Challenge Pretoria Facebook page, following @SPARladiespta on Twitter and posting with the hashtag #IamGrateful. Visit www.sparladiespta.co.za for more information on this year’s race.