Cape Town’s Deputy Mayor, Eddie Andrews, successfully completed the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon in aid of raising R3.3 million for 42 000 pairs of school shoes.
His “Soles for Souls” initiative aims to provide dignity and hope to underprivileged children across the province
Andrews completed the marathon, running a distance of 42.2km in a time of 6:36:27, comfortably within the time limit.
This year, the marathon reached a record-breaking sell-out of 21 000 participants.
After the race, Andrews described the experience as “42.2km of pure joy”, while also emphasising the race’s significance.
“The first 30kms was okay, the legs were fine, breathing was fine.
“The last 12km was tough, the loop at the end was tough, but we made it,” he said.
“We finished well in the cut-off time, extremely proud of myself and also the course in terms of what we are running and why we are running for, Soles for Souls,” he said.
Andrews, a former Springbok, dedicated the past 10 months to training for the marathon, participating in half-marathons throughout the year.
He initiated the project after realising that many children lack proper footwear, determined to make a positive impact.
Before the race, he said: “What we have seen in terms of school shoes, kids don’t have school shoes and most of them go to school with broken shoes or barefoot.”
He said each step he took symbolised the hope and dignity that a simple pair of shoes can provide to a child.
So far, he has raised over R300000 as he continues his efforts to bring joy to children across the province.
The initiative is also in partnership with the GivenGain Foundation and the Santa Shoebox Project.
From the City’s perspective, Andrews now hopes to position Cape Town as a major player in the marathon circuit.
“We have ticked all the boxes, and hopefully we’ll get some feedback from the committee towards the end of this year,” he said.
Currently, no particular schools have been designated to receive the donation, but Andrews said they are considering schools in the Cape metro area and throughout the province.
Andrews encouraged everyone to keep supporting the campaign, which is still active.
If you’d like to contribute, visit www.givengain.com/campaign/42000pairs-of-schoolshoes-campaign-2024
Cape Argus