THE blazing sun and the heavy weighted sacks on their shoulders did little to deter the Ruck and Resolve team that saw 15 people undertake this year’s ruck march in honour of men’s mental health. 

Seven men and one powerful women tackled a 42km distance from Marine Drive in Umhlanga to the Ogle Road Grounds in Wentworth. Four people joined in from the 21km mark and the remainder joined in at the 30km mark.

Also read: Ruck march: 38km of love, loss and legacy

What it is all about

Kurtis Kinsey, co-founder of Ruck and Resolve, said this year’s march was more emotional than its predecessor. Kinsey added for Brian Fell and him, this was never about just kilometres covered, weight carried or reaching the finish line, 

“Every person who joins us has their own story. Some people may be fighting battles that nobody knows about, while others may be there to support a brother, a friend, a family member or someone they have never even met. That is the beauty of this movement; we may all carry different burdens, but we do not have to carry them alone,” he said. 

Mind over matter

The team showcased immense strength carrying weighted sacks throughout most of their journey. Kinsey said for the first 21km they carried 20kg rucksacks. From distance 21-26km they went weight free to allow their shoulders to decompress. They increased the weight to 30kg for distance 26km-31km and then went back down to 20kg for the remainder of the march. 

Age has no limits 

A great example of the phrase age has no limits was 60-year-old Moses Labistour taking on the full 42km march. The march for Labistour, a seasoned long-distance runner, had its own set of unique challenges that made it different from regular marathons.

“The similarity can be found in the discipline. You need to be able to prepare and put in the effort to succeed. We did take a bit longer than expected but at the end of the day we enjoyed it and that is what matters most,” he said. 

Showing up for everyone

The rose among the thorns in the 42km category was Dominique Munnik. The resident cheerleader of the group decided to undertake the march to also show support for men’s mental health as well as challenge herself in a new way. Munnik said that while it felt amazing to cross the finish line the journey was not easy.

“It was really hard, but we can do hard things,” she joked.

Kinsey expressed his sincere gratitude to everyone, from the businesses to the residents, who supported and cheered them on.

The team

The brave people who took on the march were:

42km

• Brian Fell 
• Kurtis Kinsey 
• Claude Boucher 
• Credence Boucher 
• Radelin Hughes
• Dominique Munnik 
• Moses Labistour
• Keith Williams 

21km

• Keagan Smith
• Romonoe Linen
• Tshepang Mmutle
• Leah Enicker

30-42km

• Camryn Hughes 
• Mapelo Roskruge 
• Myrtle Sophie

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