For eight gruelling days, 53 ordinary South Africans have battled heat, exhaustion, high winds, physical pain and mental challenges to make an extraordinary impact on the lives of several young learners. Between them, these #MADsters have run and cycled 1 550km from Johannesburg to Cape Town from October 8 to 15 in an epic cross-country event designed to raise funds for disadvantaged scholars.
This adventure-for-a-cause is founded on the belief that each person has a calling to be an active citizen and make a difference wherever they can. The only requirement? A big heart and a willingness to be a little MAD! MAD2Adventures for a Cause is a registered NPO, which hosts two annual events: MAD2Run and MAD2Ride.
MAD2Run is an eight-day, 24-hour relay-style run from Johannesburg to Cape Town, with 35 MADsters who embrace this FUNdraiser. Each runner is committed to running a minimum of 20km per day. While this is the ultimate challenge for the majority of our team, some of the more experienced athletes are aiming to cover between 250 to 300km during the week.
MAD2Ride, on the other foot, hosts 20 cyclists who ride a slightly different and longer route than MAD2Run, totalling 1600km from Johannesburg, through Bloem, Colesburg, Victoria West, Fraserburg, Sutherland and Ceres, and then to Cape Town! These riders approach the challenge as a team and ride the full distance as a peloton. But what makes this cycle tour unique is that it is a multi-stage, multi-terrain ride, requiring both a mountain and a road bike.
And, why would anyone be this MAD?
The MAD Leadership Foundation offers a full-investment scholarship that provides holistic educational support to academically talented scholars who show promise but lack the necessary financial resources to effectively develop their potential.
The MAD Foundation aims to mould and create future leaders who will serve as inspiring role models and, ultimately, pay it forward by uplifting others in the future too. There are currently 311 South African scholars enrolled in the programme and the Foundation’s aim is to raise enough funds to uplift hundreds more.
On October 8, the MAD2 athletes set off from Nelson Mandela Square in Sandton, Johannesburg, and have run and cycled their way through Kroonstad, Bloemfontein, Colesburg, Victoria West, Sutherland and Ceres, before arriving at their final destination, the Harbour Bridge Hotel and Suites at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, this afternoon, 15 October (at approximatly 2.15pm).
Then, to further prove just how truly MAD they are, the MAD2Runners will run the Cape Town Marathon’s Virtual half marathon (21kms) around Cape Town on October 16, while the MAD2Ride cyclists will follow most of the Cape Town Cycle Tour’s 109km route on the same day!
Step by step, stride for stride and pedal to pedal, MAD2Adventures is paving a path and making a difference for SA’s future leaders. To join these MAD athletes on their incredible journey across the country, follow them on Instagram (@mad2adventures) and Facebook (MAD2Adventures) and visit the website: www.mad2adventures.com.
To learn more about this incredible cause, and how you can get involved in making a difference, contact Dayle Raaff at [email protected]. You can also sponsor one or more of these ‘ordinary’ athletes doing something extraordinary, or make a donation – no matter how large or small – because every cent counts.
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Pictures: Supplied