To close out my Long Road to Comrades project a final report on Day 20, Comrades Marathon Sunday.
Also, an opportunity to brag a bit, about family and (new) friend associations!
I am enormously impressed and proud of many people. As a former member of Sunninghill Striders Running Club (chairman 2016/17) it thrills me no end to see my club-mates achieving and surpassing their dreams.
And my sister, Jenni Kruse. An exceptional performance. 30th woman home, 9th in her category. Jenni is a DSG Old Girl and still retains the 800m and 400m track records. Congratulations to Massmart Athletics Club on winning the team prize!
The final words for my Long Road To Comrades friends. You are an inspiration. I am in awe of the team and individual performances at ComradesMarathon. May your lives be enriched by the experience. You have certainly enriched mine.
As is tradition, I make an award to my Comrades Hero of the Day. Always a tough call but this year’s award goes to Carla Molinaro. A mind-bogglingly extraordinary performance after 815km in the preceding 19 days to earn 9th place and a GOLD medal.
Congratulations to you Carla and thank you to all for the experience.
GRAEME HOLMES
Before moving back to Grahamstown in Oct 2017, Graeme was a bank executive based in the big smoke and craziness of Joburg. He has 20 years’ experience in the Payments Industry. He is a Chartered Accountant, has a Masters in Management by Research (MMR) from Wits Business School, and attended an Advanced Management Programme (AMP) offered by INSEAD (The Business School for the World!) in France.
Graeme is the founder of The Grahamstown Project. It’s simple. He says, “Grahamstown is a microcosm of South Africa. If we can’t get this place to function properly then the whole country is stuffed. Many of the troubles we experience as a country today have their roots here in Grahamstown. it is here where black and white people first engaged in conflict on the African continent. It is here where 9 wars of dispossession over 100 years took place and virtually destroyed the amaXhosa nation. But we are where we are. I don’t have a British passport and the boat-trip back to where my ancestors came from is exorbitantly expensive. Furthermore, this is my home. I am a son of Africa. We must work together to redress the injustices of the past and move as one into a brighter future.”
Graeme is an avid historian, writer, vlogger and public speaker. Like and follow the Facebook page. Join him on a tour. Contact him. He would love that.