Thousands of bikers turn out for 34th annual Toy Run
THOUSANDS of motorcyclists polished up their bikes, decorated them with toys and rode in two enormous parades yesterday for Cape Town’s 34th annual Charity Toy Run.
An estimated 7 500 machines joined the Toy Run, about 100 times as many as the 76 bikes that turned out for the first Toy Run in 1983.
Escorted by traffic officials, the two cavalcades converged at Kenilworth Racecourse, where they were joined by hundreds more, many of whom weren’t bikers but wanted to be part of the event, which aims to make Christmas come true for tens of thousands of children in institutions, unfunded care and welfare programmes across the Western Cape.
Former Toy Run convener Rodney Ford – who still distributes the toys over two back-breaking weeks after the Toy Run each year – has a list of more than 400 grass-roots groups that take care of orphaned, destitute and homeless children, as well as children in impoverished communities.
Many of the riders dropped their toys in one of the two five-ton trucks at the Toy Run, bought a badge, chatted with friends and went home.
The majority, however, paid R50 to attend the after-party at the racecourse. There they were treated to biker rock by five bands; stand-up comedy from Toy Run stalwart Kurt Schoonraad and his funny friends; food and drinks; displays of the latest machines and handbuilt creations from a number of dealers and leading exponents of the fast-growing custom culture, and a variety of biker bling on display at dozens of stalls.
Some of the Toy Runners have been attending for generations, while others went for the first time.
First-time convener Georgia Veale was overwhelmed by the noise and the number of bikes and kept asking: “Is it working? Is it OK?”
Relax, Georgia, it was better than OK; it was magic.