Some fun in the sun
EAST London’s favourite fun run is back on the horizon as the SPAR Daily Dispatch Summer Fun Run gears up for its latest edition on Sunday.
The extremely popular annual event brings thousands of fun runners and families to the Esplanade to enjoy the entertaining morning.
“This year the run is all about ‘family fun in the sun’,” said acting Daily Dispatch marketing manager Penelope Smith.
“What better way to kick off the summer holiday season than a morning with the family on our city’s beautiful Orient Beach?
“We have loads of fun summer activities for the kids and great lucky draw prizes and having SPAR on board as our co-naming sponsor really is the cherry on the cake.”
Smith believes it will help the run reach new heights and she hopes to establish a long-standing relationship with the company.
SPAR Eastern Cape sponsorship and events manager Alan Stapleton said the family ethos of the occasion was a perfect fit for them.
“We ran the Family Challenge in the past and, following the continued success of the Women’s Challenge in Port Elizabeth, we felt there was a call to remain involved with the East London community,” said Stapleton.
“This is a great opportunity for us to back an event which has been in place for 39 years and one that occupies a permanent date on the festive programme.”
He said the Summer Fun Run, which has been held in various formats over the years, ticked all the boxes for them.
“It’s a great welcome to the summer season – a fun event suitable for the whole family. Besides the races, there will be lots of great events, lucky draws, music and even cheerleaders.”
A further connection SPAR EC have with the Summer Fun Run is that the event has the Association for the Rehabilitation of Persons with Disability (ARPD) as its beneficiary.
Stapleton said this tied in with the annual Wheelchair Wednesday campaign which they supported in collaboration with the Association for Persons with Physical Disabilities (Eastern Cape) in Port Elizabeth during August.
“This CSI initiative, which raises awareness of the difficulties people with disabilities face, is extremely important to the SPAR family and we are excited to continue that support through the ARPD in East London.
“The Summer Fun Run was the first event in East London which welcomed strollers and wheelchairs, and the organisers donate R10 of each entry fee to ARPD.”
He added the route was suitable for everyone – from moms with tots to persons with disabilities to more serious runners, with 4km and 8km runs available on the day.
The runs begin at the Orient Beach swimming pool on the Esplanade, starting at 9am on Sunday.
The first 2000 to arrive on the day will receive a free peak.
Enter online at
Entry for the 8km run is R70 for adults, R50 for kids under 16 and corporate entries of 10 people or more cost R55 per person.
The 4km is R60 for adults, R40 for kids under 16 and a family package consisting of entries for two adults and two kids is R150.
Registration and late entries are accepted tomorrow at SUPERSPAR Spargs from 10am to 6pm and on Saturday from 10am to 2pm at SUPERSPAR Amalinda.