Seen here (on the right): Craig Thomson in action at the 2015 Absa Cape Town 12 ONERUN.
Photo Credit: Jetline Action Photo
Stellenbosch based adventure seeker Craig Thomson will close off his impressive 121 day, 12 000km journey from Cairo to Cape Town on Sunday, 15 May 2016 when he takes part in the Cape’s most exciting 10km road run, the Absa Cape Town 12 ONERUN.
“I would like to make a change in Africa,” says Thomson. “My Cairo to Cape journey started on Friday, 15 January 2016 in front of the pyramids. I would have crossed Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa before closing off my journey on Sunday, 15 May 2016. I thought the Absa Cape Town 12 ONERUN would be fitting as a finale to a dream adventure because it was at this event last year that I decided to support the Unogwaja Light Fund. This 10km event is a personal challenge to the individual and is set in a fun and friendly environment. I can’t wait to run with my friends and I am looking forward to seeing the Unogwaja team before they depart on their adventure, the Unogwaja Challenge.”
More about the Unogwaja Challenge: An annual journey, the Unogwaja Challenge was started in 2011 with the goal of following in the footsteps of Comrades legend Phil Masterton-Smith. Affectionately known as “Unogwaja” which means the Hare in Zulu, Phil Masterton-Smith was involved in two of the closest finishes in the Comrades Marathon history. In 1930 he narrowly lost to the great Wally Hayward. The following year at the age of 19 he became the youngest ever Comrades winner when he crossed the finish line meters a head of Noel Burree. In 1933 Masterton-Smith couldn’t afford the train fare from Cape Town to run the Comrades Marathon, so he cycled over 1 700kms from Cape Town to Pietermaritzburg in ten days, and on the eleventh day he ran the gruelling Comrades Marathon, finishing tenth overall.
The 2016 Unogwaja Challenge starts in Cape Town on Thursday, 19 May 2016 and finishes in Pietermaritzburg on Sunday 29 May, consisting of ten days on the bicycle covering 1,657km between these two great cities, followed by the 89km Comrades on the eleventh day. The Unogwaja team will be seen in action at the Absa Cape Town 12 ONERUN, a mere four days before they embark on their special journey.
Since its inception the Unogwaja Challenge had raised over R4 million for charity. Absa Cape Town 12 ONERUN entrants can support both the Unogwaja Team and the Unogwaja Light Fund by purchasing a pair of red socks at Race Pack Collection.
EVENT INFORMATION:
Absa Cape Town 12 ONERUN
| Date: | Sunday, 15 May 2016 |
| Time: | 09:00 |
| Start Venue: | Woodbridge Island, c/o R27 and Loxton Road, Milnerton (Cape Town) |
| Finish Venue: | Absa Building, Portside c/o Mechau and Bree Streets (Cape Town, CBD) |
Charity Support: When entering online, runners can choose to support either or both of the Absa Cape Town ONERUN Charities: The Cape Of Good Hope SPCA and Die Burger Kersfonds.
Facebook: Ctown12 / CapeofGoodHopeSPCA
Twitter: @CTown12
For more information on: Die Burger Kersfonds email azelia.morkel@media24.com, Cape Of Good Hope SPCA visit www.spca-ct.co.za, Absa Cape Town 12 ONERUN visit www.thecapetown12.com
About the Absa Cape Town 12 ONERUN sponsorship:
The Absa Cape Town 12 ONERUN race is sponsored by Absa Business. The sponsorship forms part of the Bank’s ongoing strategy to support national and community events that have the potential to grow and inspire. The Absa Cape Town 12 ONERUN affirms our dedication to providing an experience that is beyond expectation, through sporting disciplines that advance our commitment to building, enduring and rewarding relationships across communities in which we operate.
ENDS
ISSUED BY: Newsport Media
ON BEHALF OF: Absa Cape Town 12 ONERUN a Stillwater Sports Event