SEASIDE STROLL:
18 years on, Big Walk still makes a difference
Thousands of Capetonians took part in the Wholesome Bread Cape Town Big Walk 2018 presented by Jive. Starting in Vlei Road opposite Cape Town Stadium, the Mother City’s biggest walking event made its way along the Sea Point Promenade and finished inside the Green Point Track.
IT WAS a day filled with fun and excitement as the Cape Town Big Walk got under way at Cape Town Stadium. Over 18 000 people participated in the event this year. The Big Walk was sponsored by Wholesome Breads and cooldrinks company Jive. The Cape Argus was the official media sponsor for the event.
“Today has been a great success. We are extremely fortunate to have a number of people here with us.
“We have the editor of the Cape Argus, we have the deputy minister of home affairs here with us today, so it’s a signal to us that Cape Town has invested in this cause wholesomely,” the marketing director of the Big Walk, Dr Elias Parker, said.
Money raised at the event will go to four beneficiaries, including the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital; the Manenberg People’s Centre, which offers programmes for the community; and the state-of-the-art library in Lansdowne, the Academia Library.
“At the end of the day we do this for a solitary reason, and that is to make a difference in the lives of those beneficiaries; and what Cape Town has done once again is step forward to show that an event can make a difference,” Parker said.
Organisers took into account Cape Town’s water crisis by deciding not to have water tables along the route. Instead, they provided runners with a 500ml water bottle in their goodie bag.
Parker said the water crisis did not stop them from pulling off an event like this. “The prizes are incidental, and the water situation could not discourage people from attending this walk or to enter this walk. In this regard, we have come up with a plan that will negate the effect of the water crisis. However, people did not complain.”
The Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Fatima Chohan, delivered the keynote address to runners at the starting line of the 10km walk.
“Exercise is a very big part of this event, and Cape Town has opened its heart to all the underprivileged who are in need, because all the proceeds will go to these well-deserving beneficiaries. It’s not about winning,” Chohan said.
At the end of the race, runners were treated to live entertainment by dancers and local singer Nur Abrahams.
Prizes such as an LED television, a mountain bike, smartphones and a training programme to the value of R12 000, sponsored by College of Cape Town, were handed out.
The Big Walk started 18 years ago, and the idea behind the event was “to make a difference”.