The only race for disabled athletes in South Africa was hosted in George for the 21st time on Saturday 15 March. This coming-of-age edition of the OCC was made possible by generous sponsors and the support of a differently-abled community simply raring to roll.
Starting with the 42.2km marathon for serious athletes – counting among them multiple Paralympian medallists from SA and Ghana – racing chairs and hand-cycles also flew the flags of Namibia and Botswana. The first racer home from this longest route of the Challenge was Stuart McCreadie in a time of 1:10.44.
As the sunny autumn morning progressed, racers from across the sub-continent lined up for the half-marathon, before a big contingent of competitors set off on the 10km track. Supported by local traffic and emergency services, the town of George also supplied a beautiful backdrop on all routes, with motorists and pedestrians encouraging racers along the way.
Thuso Rasetapa from Botswana blazed past the finish line to be a category winner in the 21.1km race, and other big names taking bling home included Paralympians Justine Asher, Pieter du Preez and Raphael Botsyo Nkegbe, while rising star Zach Legward, 17, and local hero Shaun Butler added greatly to the day’s racing spectacle. Shaun also chairs the Disabled Road Race Foundation, which again hosted the event.
But the spirit of OCC may have been best represented in the hundreds of people young and old that participated in the 5km fun event, introduced as open category in celebration of the race’s 21st anniversary, and inviting individuals with any disabilities to participate.
Part of this group was beloved RSG presenter Martelize Brink – an OCC devotee and a fierce believer that people in wheelchairs should make themselves heard and seize the day. In her address during the prize-giving ceremony at Carpe Diem School’s brightly adorned race hub, Martelize praised everyone for “showing up”. She reminded her audience to fight for their rights to access and acceptance, but also to “have fun”.
And this lightness is what strikes when chatting to some of the top athletes: André Koen, racing even while on meds for a flu infection, joked about raucous Friday-night neighbours partying ‘til 3am; the Du Preez family from Joburg – Pieter, his wife and young son – were in transit for more than 12 hours when scant visibility in George diverted their flight. They rented a car and drove the five hours from Gqeberha.
No challenge seems up to breaking the spirit of the 600+ OCC participants and their support teams – a point reiterated by race director Alewijn Dippenaar during the closing ceremony. His message was also shared with a much wider audience when a three-minute exposé on the event was broadcast on prime-time national TV over Saturday.
Kudos are due to all sponsors – Garden Route Mall, the Western Cape Government, Master Cargo, Lancewood, Safari, Garden Route District Municipality, George Herald, AlgoaFM, and iX – organisers and local businesses for ensuring the day’s success, and to Carpe Diem School for being host venue. Email dyndev@mweb.co.za for full results and further information.
