Welcome
After two exciting years that included running the famous Marathon des Sables and the The North Face 100, my new project for 2010 is to go back to one of my favourite races, the Comrades marathon in South Africa on 30 May.
With my friend Josh I had attempted the Comrades in 2003 – our first ultramarathon ever – and together we experienced one of the greatest road races in the world. With the motto 'Because we can' we mastered the 89 km from Pietermaritzburg to Durban, pushing our body to new limits and discovering new frontiers in suffering and joy.
This year, I will rise the bar and make the whole challenge even more worthwhile. In the true spirit of the race, I will team up with Francois Jacobs, a blind South African runner, and together we will conquer the 89 kilometres to Durban and fulfill his dream of finishing the Comrades.
It is one thing to train and race for oneself, but now I have to train my mind and eyes to see and run for two. My first step is to learn how to be a successful guide. I have joined the Achilles Running Club Sydney and I am currently learning how to help people with physical impairments to enjoy a run as much as I do.
The second step is to put a training plan together for Francois and me. We want to make sure that we keep on track for May, and that we end up with the same strength and endurance necessary to finish the race together.
The third and most important step is to help The Fred Hollows Foundation, so that they can continue their important work in South Africa and around the globe.
South Africa has a population of more than 47 million with around 35% of the population living on less than $2 per day. An estimated 225,000 people are needlessly blind from cataracts in South Africa. The majority of these people have no access to eye care services.
Africa is one of the reasons Fred Hollows became an ophthalmologist. He had the idea that he would like to do medical work on the 'dark continent', and he discovered that one of the most useful things a doctor could do there was to take out cataracts.
Fred's work is not finished yet, and I need your help and generous support to make sure that all people, not only on the 'dark continent', but everywhere on this planet, can see some light and enjoy a normal live as you and I do.
Please stay tuned, visit my blog, and come back to this site to find out about upcoming events and fundraising activities in the lead-up to the race in May.Thank you & happy running!
Markus
