BAREFOOT RUNNER TO TACKLE COMRADES AGAIN, FOR CHARITY

Charity runner Graham Wills to take on the Comrades Marathon barefoot again to raise funds.

President Nelson Mandela once said “it looks impossible until it’s done” and that is exactly what Graham Wills is doing as he prepares to tackle the world’s most gruelling ultra-marathon barefooted, again.

Wills has a deep passion for the homeless, particularly children living on the street due to the inadequate number of shelters. Wills, who is currently in London but originally from Pietermaritzburg, told The Witness that his participation in the race is not about chasing times or winning a medal, but “fulfilling the desire in his heart” of helping to raise funds.

He agreed that running without running shoes is not an easy task and to some it may look silly but he is looking forward to the race and feeling motivated about the challenge.

“Yeah it’s not like a simple smooth walk in the park. To run the Comrades Marathon is not easy at all and even worse without shoes. You are exposed to a lot of danger, pain, blisters and aches. My participation is about sending a strong message out there, overcoming those obstacles on the road and to fulfill my annual mission,” said Wills.

He said his training runs are not serious or intense like those of elite runners and it depends on his schedule for the day.

“I always try my best to run at least 10 km or 15 km a day

(in the morning). On weekends I normally go for long runs in order to accumulate the required mileage. There are also a couple of qualifying marathons I ran just to be sure that my legs can carry me for the entire race,” he said.

Wills will be raising funds for Run For A Roof, which is an initiative of the One Life Foundation and he hopes to raise R200 000 to help them. This is his fourth race having first entered in 2021.

Deidre Mooljee, who is the social media and marketing officer for the Maritzburg Homeless Network, said the organisation is grateful for Wills’s hard work and encourages more people to come forward and donate for a good cause.

“Charity work is so huge around our city and challenging. So we really appreciate the sacrifice and hard work from guys like Graham because we are desperate for funds ,”said Mooljeee.