May 2010

Posted by: admin Comments: 0 Post Date: May 30, 2010

MAKING EVERY HEART BEAT COUNT
by Bridget De Beer – Marketing e1c

Photograph taken by Colin Melville – 083 7837255

Back l-r Wayne Redman, Shaun Westermeyer, Doug Hull, Mark McCall, Jurgen Swart, Andrew Sandler
Front l-r Jody Taylor, Bernie Karam, Lisa Redman, Charlene Swart, Claire Maujean, Olly Maujean

Absent Mike Cunningham, Jon Powers

Fighting for your life, freezing, abandoned, starving, ant-eaten and not even 24 hours old, possibly requires more strength than is needed by the approximately 20 000 runners lining up for this year’s grueling Comrades Marathon.

Fourteen Durban runners, including seven novices, have put their hearts in their running shoes and are dedicating their muscle pain and mental torture on the road to highlight the incredible strength and endurance shown by babies that are abandoned daily in our province.

Just as Vic Clapham ran the first Comrades Marathon on 24 May 1921, in honour of his comrades who had died in the war, so these fourteen will be lending their heartbeats to the hundreds of abandoned babies whose hearts have no voice to speak for them.

This enthusiastic group has added their support to the everyONEcounts campaign, whose initial purpose is to raise awareness and funding through art, for Shepherds Keep, a home for abandoned babies. “In light of the fact that the history and spirit of the Comrades echoes the core values of everyONEcounts, our quest is to hopefully ensure that every single kilometer completed, counts towards something meaningful, because every life counts.” says Olly Maujean, a novice runner.

Lara Mellon
Mobile: +27 (0)82 694 9444
lara[at]everyonecounts.co.za