Delivering POST started Sathee’s love for running
SATHEE Moodley is proving that age is nothing but a number. The 74-yearold runs 15km every day and also has no plans to retire from his job or from running anytime soon.
He has been working as a sales representative for Packing and Industrial Equipment in Redhill for more than 50 years.
Moodley was a founding member of the Rising Sun Chatsworth Athletics Club which he continues to be part of to this day.
This club was formed more than 30 years ago and Moodley is considered a Grandmaster within the athletics fraternity of Chatsworth due to his contributions to promoting the sport which he is so passionate about.
He has won numerous accolades and awards from the club over the years which hang on his home wall in Silverglen.
Despite being well into his seventies, Moodley has a fitness level which is higher than the majority of today’s youngsters.
When asked to share tips on how he has managed to maintain a high level of fitness as a senior citizen, he said: “The secret to this is training daily in the morning for 15km, eating healthy food and being happy.”
Moodley grew up under poor circumstances.
As a child he lived in a tin shanty in Clairwood Trent Road with no running water or lights.
Every day after school he used to run to the shops and this was where his love for running started.
During the 1960’s and 1970’s, Moodley made ends meet by delivering Daily News and POST newspapers from door to door in Clairwood area.
He started excelling in sports from a young age and while in primary school, won the mile event while representing the Southern Zone for the Clairwood District.
“I did my first long distance running in Clairwood Diwali Sports. We started in Umbogintwini and finished in Clairwood – a distance of about 14km.”
Though running was his first love, Sathee also played soccer during his younger days and turned out for Korean Lads and Trent City in the Clairwood Junior League.
Some of the memorable moments of Moodley’s time in road running include participating in five Two Oceans Marathons in the 56km category and three times in the Two Oceans Half Marathon.
The most recent Two Oceans Half Marathon which he competed in was last April in Cape Town.
Despite having won numerous accolades as a competitor, Moodley also enjoys just being part of the sport as it allows him to meet people of different cultural, age and racial backgrounds. This is also something which motivates him.
He does, however, feel the need for greater participation from the youth: “It is very sad that the younger generation are not taking much interest in athletics. It is rather the older generation who are contributing most to the sport.”
Sathee Moodley lists Bruce Fordyce, Wally Hayward, Blanch Moila Garikai Madawuo, Dees Govender and Iris Ndlovu as favourites of his in the running community.