Four charities will be supported thanks to 7,000 athletes taking part in the 38th SPAR Knysna Forest Marathon; they also expect thousands of warm tops to be made available for the community.
Knysna, South Africa (08 June 2023) – The Vermont Old Age Home, Loeriehof Old Age Home, Knysna Epilepsy Centre and Sinethemba Youth Development Centre have been selected as the beneficiaries for this year’s SPAR Knysna Forest Marathon. This year marks the 38th forest marathon in the beautiful town.
The forest marathon always draws in excited runners and ultra-runners but this year, they gave already exceeded the number of runners that have ever signed up. Compared to last year’s 6,500, 7,000 have already registered for the 38th SPAR Knysna Forest Marathon. The numbers are growing every day and this charitable race is shaping up to be a memorable one!
The marathon (42.2km) and half marathon (21.1km) events, renowned for taking participants deep into the forest and offering breathtaking views of the estuary and Knysna Heads, will take place on July 8th this year.
“We are expecting runners from all over the country, including the Western Cape, Gauteng and Eastern Cape,” organiser Baily Neill said. “So many people are drawn to the race because about 90 per cent of it is run through the forest.”
They have seen numbers grow substantially since the pandemic ended. Since the lifting of restrictions, runners, joggers and walkers were incredibly keen to be outdoors again, according to Neill.
“While initially cautious, they now relish every opportunity to test themselves in events such as these.”
At the heart of the 2023 event is its tradition of benefiting others. Beneficiaries this year are the Vermont Old Age Home, Loeriehof Old Age Home, Knysna Epilepsy Centre and Sinethemba Youth Development Centre.
Not only will the event raise funds for the four charities above, but the community will be involved too. Giving back and volunteering their time.
“We involve people in the Knysna community by having them assist on the weekend of the event,” explained Neill. “From helping on the field to helping at the water tables along the route.”
At the start of the race, there is a donation point where people drop off their clothing – often runners will have a warm top or windbreaker on before the race starts but don’t want to carry it throughout the race, so they leave it behind. This happens every year, where participants leave their clothes at the start to be donated to local communities.
“You can imagine the difference it makes with a couple of thousand people leaving their clothes behind,” Neill said.
7000 warm tops and jackets could be life-changing!
SPAR joined up with the Knysna Forest Marathon this year. The SPAR regional advertising manager Roseann Shadrach said the Group had been looking to support an event in the South Western Districts for a while and the Knysna Forest Marathon aligned beautifully with its ethos of healthy living and enjoying the outdoors.
“Customers in Knysna are huge supporters of the SPAR brand and given the marathon is now in its 38th year and we are celebrating our 30th in the region, partnering with the event was a no-brainer,” she said.
“We are very excited to be part of this iconic event.”
Neill said the event was not simply a run in the forest but a “whole experience”.
“It’s about having a break away in Knysna. Yes, the race is definitely a bucket list item, but it’s also about spending time in a beautiful town.”
Those performing on the day will not miss out either as a variety of cash prizes have been made available by the organisers. Cash prizes will also be awarded in the various age categories of both distances.
In the men’s and women’s marathons, the podium finishers will receive R5 000, R3 500 and R3 000 respectively. The top three in each category in the half marathons receive R4 500, R3 500 and R3 000.
Visit www.knysnaforestmarathon.co.za for general and entry information.
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