Fired for 48-hour dream run
Daily Dispatch employee raises funds for two-year-old’s cochlear surgery
AMAZING fitness and sheer willpower and tenacity will be what Daily Dispatch employee Tim Stones will need in droves when he takes on the daunting task of competing in his first 48-hour run at the Modderfontein Sports Complex in Johannesburg next week.
Stones, an avid running enthusiast, is attempting the remarkable feat to raise funds for the Decibel Cochlear Campaign, and for a two-year-old boy who’s in real need of a cochlear implant.
Stones is himself hearing impaired.
“Running is for me a metaphor for life,” he said.
“I am not running this race to make history, that is merely a fact that emerges out of my participation in this race, this race is important to me at a deeply personal level.
“It’s far more than ‘just’ a race for me, it is a journey of the soul, about living out a dream, and inspiring others to live out their own dreams, whatever that may be.”
Stones heard about the 48hour race after participating in the Mr Deaf SA pageant in Pretoria in October.
He was named first runnerand received the Charity Award for raising the most funds for the Decibel Cochlear Campaign.
“In thinking about these races – I have also entered next year’s [Two] Oceans and Comrades, I want to link my running with the platform I have gained through my journey with Mr Deaf SA as first runner-up,” he said.
“I decided I would raise awareness of the South African deaf community, and to try and encourage others who are deaf, or who live with a disability, including our first-born son, Brendan, who lives with a terminal illness, or who have no disability but have other life challenges, to never, ever give up on dreaming.”
The young boy who Stones will be assisting is from Pretoria.
“He has a profound hearing loss, and has been identified by the Miss, Mrs and Mr Deaf SAorganisation, under which the Decibel Cochlear Campaign falls, as their candidate to receive a cochlear implant,” he said.
“I have since been in contact with his mom, and have a photo of him.
“It’s wonderful to put a name to a face as I go into this adventure – to know that this is the young man I am running for.”
To gear up for the run, Stones has been mentored by Washie 100 legend Johan van der Merwe.
The race forms part of the “Festival of Running”, which incorporates several distances and events.
Stones will run around a 1km circuit aiming to cover as much distance as possible in 48 hours without sleep, while eating and drinking on the move.
“The course record for this race is 240.192km, and I have set myself the minimum goal of breaking that record,” Stones said.
“I also will become the first athlete from the Border to officially complete a 48-hour race, and also the first deaf person in the world.”
The run takes place from next Thursday.