The weather was perfect, cool and overcast for the majority of the morning. The atmosphere was electric, with over 20,000 runners taking part. The residents and local businesses of Soweto came out in numbers to support the runners with refreshments and encouragement along the whole route. The race officials and marshalls did an excellent job controlling traffic and guiding the runners along the route. The event has a standard marathon of 42,2km, a half marathon of 21,1km and a 10km run. The entire Solid Green team that registered completed the race.

Front row, left-right: Mthokozisi Khumalo(10), Kamohelo Selepe(10), Cebisa Mafukuzela(10) , Wardah Peters(10).
Back Row : Makhsazana Mthethwa(10), Marloes Reinink(10), Jennifer Dean(10), Chilufya Lombe(10), Thato Molapo(42)

In the journey of life, there are ups and downs. In a marathon, there are a lot of challenges, ups and downs. There is pain in training and pain in running.

Eluid Kipchoge

The key principles I have learned from long-distance running are discipline, perseverance, positive thinking, and teamwork. The race was more challenging than I had imagined. When my legs started cramping and my body started to give up on me, the only thing that kept me going was my mind – keep moving, ignore the pain, focus on the encouragement of fellow runners and supporters.

The highlight of the race was crossing the finish line and hearing my fellow Solid Green team members cheering me on. It was a great team-building event and I feel we will take that energy back to our day-to-day responsibilities, supporting each other to reach our goals. I believe that, in life, if you have the right people around you and a positive mindset, you will overcome any adversity you may come across and accomplish any goal you set.