A total of 13 runners hit the tar this past weekend in support of the #SAVERXRadio campaign.
Participating in the Two Oceans Marathon, the athletes did their bit to help keep RXRadio on air. Among them were three members of the Southern Striders Running Club: Alan Jacobs, Graham Ford and Gavin Craig.
Based at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, it is one of the first radio stations in the world to have child and young reporters broadcasting from within a hospital.
Last year, the station announced that they were in trouble.
In November, the radio station launched a #SAVERXRadio campaign, but despite the call to encourage people to donate, it still faces the risk of closure.
Chelsey Daniels, junior project officer at RXRadio, says they were only able to consolidate the money raised through a BackABuddy campaign at the beginning of February. However, the money raised will only afford the radio station to operate for another month.
“We are also in the process of waiting for responses from potential funders, for example, Open Society Foundation SA and Unicef, as we have submitted proposals at the end of last year – if we are successful, we will be able to function until the end of the year,” says Daniels.
That puts the radio station’s chance of survival at 50% and as any doctor is likely to tell you, those are not the best odds.
In stepped Johandie de Kock of Parow Valley.
De Kock, who is part of the Bellville Athletics Club, ran across the station during the #SAVERXRadio campaign and immediately knew that it was a cause she wanted to support. To raise funds for the station, she got other runners on board and created a “champion/project/keep-rx-radio-on-air” BackABuddy page.
“The station opened its doors to allow children with, and without chronic conditions to have a sense of community and to know that there are others at the forefront fighting for their right to have their voices heard,” she says.
Sunday’s run marked De Kock’s 11th Two Oceans half-marathon. Joining her at the start of the scenic route in Newlands were Jacobs and Ford.
Reaching the finish line, De Kock told RXRadio reporters Lilah Davies and Emily Olivier that, surprisingly, she felt fresh and fit. She shared that she almost didn’t make it to the half-marathon.
“Last week, I had sinus issues and my hamstring has also been giving me trouble for a few weeks. I almost thought I wasn’t going to make it here this morning but I did.”
Going the extra mile, Craig completed the 56 km route on Saturday 15 April. Also running the ultra-marathon under the RXRadio banner were Bradley Janse van Rensburg, Cayli Stockton, Moabaloso Keagana and Tsepiso Nzayo.
Nzayo was the first of the RXRadio runners to complete the race on Saturday.
Davies and Olivier also caught up with Nzayo at the finish line. They asked him how he was feeling and why he was supporting the station.
“I felt it. At some point, I wanted to quit but then I remembered why I was doing this so that kept me pushing.”
Nzayo said RXRadio gave a voice to the voiceless.
“I am big on giving back to the community. Right now I don’t have money, but I can use my legs and time to give back.”
