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- Cape Town life coach Saleem Gamza completed yet another Sanlam Cape Town Marathon on Sunday.
- Gamza and his running club ran for pupils who do not have school shoes.
- The running club hopes that supporters across the province will donate to the initiative.
Cape Town life coach Saleem Gamza completed his fifth 42-kilometre Sanlam Cape Town Marathon on Sunday.
The two-day marathon event kicked off on Saturday with hundreds of runners participating in the 5km or 10km peace run.
According to the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon website, the marathon is a prestigious global race open to a spectrum of running enthusiasts, from elite athletes to social runners.
On Sunday, the race started at 05:00.
Gamza, 57, was among the many runners who eagerly started the race outside the DHL Stadium in Green Point.
"The vibes were magnificent, and everyone just focused on getting the race done despite the bit of wind that played its part as we ran," Gamza told News24.
READ | PICS | More than 200 SAPS members take part in this year's Sanlam Marathon events in Cape Town
Gamza, along with his running club team members at the Ommiedraai Friends Athletics Club in Kenilworth, decided months ago that they would run this year's marathon in support the hundreds of children who do not have school shoes.
The school shoes collected will go to a non-profit organisation, Hakuna Matata in Mitchells Plain, which will distribute the shoes to areas where they are needed most.
"The need for school shoes is massive. In consultation with teachers across the province, we discovered that school shoes were a big need among pupils.
"It blows my mind that in this day and age, we still have so many children walking to school without shoes. It's shocking," Gamza said.
He said the race was a way for the club to get sponsors to donate at least 42 pairs of school shoes.
"It was a much better way of getting people to donate school shoes. That way, running for a good cause felt much better than just openly asking people to donate money.
"The children need this. It is not okay for us to accept that children should be walking to school barefoot," said Gamza.
He said he was enthusiastic about the months of training for the marathon because staying active was always a part of his lifestyle.
"I'd train almost every week. One has to train for such a big race because it is not just an around-the-corner race. You physically have to be strong to run for hours in sometimes scorching hot weather.
"This is not my first marathon, and I enjoyed it," said Gamza.
He completed the race in 4:35:20.
"It's not about how quickly one finishes the race, it's about the enjoyment, fulfilment, and completing what was started. I enjoy running, and running for a good cause made the journey more special," said Gamza.
He added that the goal was to tally up the shoe donations within the next few weeks and then decide on where to donate the school shoes.
"We hope to exceed the target of 42 pairs of shoes. We did the race for kids, and we will continue to support the need for school shoes in areas that need it most," said Gamza.
