Members of the Khayelitsha Athletic Club (KAC) can pat themselves on the back after successfully hosting the Khayelitsha 10km race a fortnight ago.
The event on the Western Province Athletics calendar offered 5km and 10km distances and took participants through the streets of Khayelitsha with early rising residents cheering the runners along.
KAC Chairperson Sizeka ‘Sizzles’ Mndwane hailed the race as a great success and thanked all the sponsors, the runners and the community at large for supporting the club.
“We would like to thank Avbob, Zone Fitness, Old Mutual, City Vision, Vodacom Shoprite, the City of Cape Town’s traffic department, the department of health, the South African Police Services for their support and our members for their sacrifices,” said Mndwane.
She also thanked the Western Province Athletics (WPA) - Road Running for assisting the club in organising the event.
“This year we received a very good report unlike other years but we know there is a room for growth and learning from our mistakes,” she said.
Mndwane said the club is one of the fastest growing clubs in the WPA fold and that was a good “sign that we were doing the right thing”.
“The residents of Khayelitsha have woken up to the idea of healthy living and running is the best way to keep fit and healthy,” she said.
One KAC member Duma Soko was weighing 118 kgs before joining the club and has trimmed his fat to a mere 78kgs.
“Running with this bunch of positive people makes me want to achieve more. I ran my first marathon on Sunday and I will be on the road more,” he said.
City Vision editor Voox Sonandzi, also a club member and keen runner said he was touched to see the growth of the club. Hesaid this was a sign that people were really becoming health conscious.
“Running is actually a great way to increase your overall level of health,” he said.
He urged local businesses to support Khayelitsha Athletics Club and other sport associations as a way of “hindering crime and ploughing back to the community”.
