Anyone who has ever run the Comrades will tell you it is one of the toughest! So when Elias Farai Chinomwe ran it backwards, he turned a few heads!
Elias Farai Chinomwe is a Zimbabwean/South African man living and working as a beekeeper in Johannesburg. He loves running and he loves bees so he decided to pair his two passions up and run to raise awareness.
However, Elias wanted to be seen so he started running backwards. He has done 7 Comrades Marathons, 3 of which he ran backwards.
The beekeeper first discovered his knack for running backwards while returning home from a bee removal job. His car broke down with a crate full of bees on his backseat. Chinomwe pushed his car but found that he had more strength when he turned around and pushed the vehicle backwards.
This inspired him to start running backwards for bees. He works to remove bees from homes and public spaces and relocate them to safe areas where they can live freely. The plight to save bees is a vital one as, without bees, our food sources will dwindle.
Elias works to educate people on why bees are important, how to save them and how to become urban beekeepers. Partnering up with the Southern Beekeepers Association, he ran the Comrades this year. Sadly he missed the cutoff time and was not able to complete the marathon.
He was really sad to have missed the opportunity but his actions have still meant a great deal and people are still talking about the man who ran the Comrades backwards for bees. He has said that now because of his running, some people have told him they rescue bees in pools or on pathways.
Next year Elias will take on the race once again but until then, he will continue his work to save as many bees as possible.