Runners will quench their thirst with Thirsti Water at this year’s 94th Comrades Marathon after the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) announced the signing of a 3-year partnership with local bottled water company, Thirsti Water.

The top spring water brand will feature as the exclusive Hydration Partner to the Comrades Marathon going forward. Runners will be supplied with Thirsti Water at refreshment stations all along the 87km Comrades route, in addition to other traditional refreshments. Focused on delivering the highest quality water that Nature can provide, 2 million Thirsti water sachets will be made available for #Comrades2019.  

With this deal just concluded, Thirsti and the CMA are committed to jointly working on a plan in the future years of this agreement to reduce the use of single use plastics (SUP’s) as part of the strategy to totally phase out plastic use by 2025.  

Thirsti will be contributing tremendous logistical support to the Comrades Marathon in the form of warehousing and delivery of its sponsored water; and the subsequent direct distribution to the 43 Comrades refreshment stations.  Their comprehensive and efficient distribution of hydration throughout the 87km race is notable, thus enabling the CMA to ensure that all runners have adequate water available and that no station runs dry.  As part of Thirsti’s generous agreement, an extra 52,000 bottles of their spring water will be made available. Each finisher will receive a bottle of Thirsti spring water in their goodie bag and at the finish; as well as being utilised to hydrate the entire CMA volunteer core on race day.  

CMA Chairperson, Cheryl Winn says, “As a proudly South African and KZN event, the Comrades Marathon Association is immensely proud to welcome Thirsti as our proudly South African and KZN official hydration partner. Thirsti is a company which has made enormous strides in the few short years they have been in existence, establishing a national footprint and already have injected a new level of excitement and passion into the planning and execution of our 2019 Comrades refreshment stations.” Winn adds, “It is reassuring to know that by partnering with a company that shares our values, not only will our runners enjoy the benefits of pure spring water but we will lessen our impact on the environment and ultimately benefit our own local economy and communities.” 

CMA General Manager, Keletso Totlhanyo says, “We are so excited about this new partnership. The Thirsti Water Company will be providing Thirsti water along this year’s Up Run route from Durban to Pietermaritzburg on Sunday, 9 June and ensure that all refreshment stations are well stocked. The Comrades brand stands for passion, perseverance and prestige; sentiments that we know the authentic KwaZulu-Natal brand, Thirsti Water, shares.”  Rob Hoatson, Founder and Director of KwaZulu-Natal based Thirsti Water, says Thirsti has made staggering inroads across South Africa in three short years. The brand has attracted a young, vibrant market who intrinsically bond with authentic brands connecting naturally to celebrate and join those who fearlessly pursue their passions and dreams. 

Says Hoatson, “We are thrilled to be in partnership with the Comrades Marathon, an event of global repute that inspires thousands of people worldwide and embodies the spirit of camaraderie.” Thirsti Water is already engaged in meaningful local sports sponsorships like The Sharks, the Duzi Canoe Marathon and the Maritzburg Marathon; as well as Maritzburg College.

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Note: The Comrades Marathon takes place on Sunday, 9 June 2019 starting at the Durban City Hall at 05h30 and finishing at the Scottsvillle Racecourse at 17h30. This will be the 48th Up This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it." width="601" height="2" />   For an interview, please call: CMA General Manager, Keletso Totlhanyo on 083 664 0421 Thirsti Water Director, Rob Hoatson on 082 904 5026    

KWAZULU-NATAL, PIETERMARITZBURG, 2 JUNE 2016 – The 2016 Nedbank Green Mile was a magnificent and humbling community event from start to finish, carefully organised to give family, friends and spectators the opportunity to boost runners embarking on the final 26km stretch to the end of the Comrades Marathon on Sunday, 29 May 2016.

Approximately 8 000 spectators occupied the Nedbank Green Mile on Old Main Road in Kloof, lining the street, shouting, dancing and clapping to the music that filled the air across the mile, which was swathed in green and gold. Families and friends picnicked on the lawns and grandstands, with multiple big screen TVs keeping them in tune with live race action.

Like a well-oiled machine, 643 entertainers, all sourced from KZN, knew exactly what to do and when, performing across six zones strategically positioned along the 1.6km Nedbank Green Mile, dressed up in an array of costumes like Ninja Turtles, Batman, Superman, Star Wars storm troopers, and green morph suits, running up the mile encouraging runners to keep moving forward. Groups of traditional Zulu dancers, gumboot dancers, and professional dancers put on shows continuously for 7 hours, plus cheerleaders, larger-than-life giant puppets, lifeguards and more cheered runners on.

Throughout the day, Scottish and military marching bands, Durban Girls High School’s drum majorettes, DJs, live bands including Afritude and Afro Divas, plus the marimba and steel drummers from St Nicholas Primary School, performed on either side of the Mile and across four stages. It was inspiring and electrifying, akin to a magnificent Rio de Janeiro parade party.

“A vital, behind-the-scenes element of the Nedbank Green Mile is its commitment to supporting the local community. In total, 881 local people were employed to work at the 2016 Nedbank Green Mile, sourced from local schools, universities, small businesses and non-profit organisations. This included 643 local entertainers and a support crew of 238. In 2016, we had the best catering zone yet, with eight local SME vendors showcasing KwaZulu-Natal’s incredible flavour,” said Tobie Badenhorst, Head of Sponsorship and Cause Marketing at Nedbank.

For the first time in Nedbank Green Mile history, Comrades Marathon major co-sponsor, Nedbank, gave spectators the chance to send digital motivational messages to their runner heroes. These messages were directly linked to a runner’s number so that when they crossed the timing map heading into the mile, the personal message was broadcast to them on a big screen TV. This proved incredibly popular amongst spectators and runners and will be a feature of future Nedbank Green Miles.

A most magical moment at the 2016 Nedbank Green Mile was double-amputee, Sandile Mbili.

“Four years ago, Sandile, from Diepsloot in Johannesburg, lost both his legs due to a bacterial infection. The Jumping Kids Foundation helped him to get prosthetic legs. Inspired by Sandile’s story, and his dedication to learning to run again using his new legs, Nedbank decided to help Sandile to raise funds to help more children like him get prosthetic legs,” said Badenhorst.

Nedbank challenged Sandile to run the Nedbank Green Mile on a 1.6km Twitter Track made up of motivational tweets from the public. For every Tweet on the track, Nedbank made a donation to the Jumping Kids Foundation to help more paraplegic children get prosthetic legs.

Running the Nedbank Green Mile, was a huge feat for 17-year-old Mbili, who until recently, was wheelchair bound and couldn’t even walk. He ran a social media campaign beforehand called #GoSandile, which encouraged people to raise awareness and donations for the Jumping Kids Foundation.

“This was an immense challenge for Mbili who is still undergoing regular physiotherapy to help him walk, let alone run again. But he ran the entire 1.6km Twitter track with a huge smile on his face, with thousands of supporters and hundreds of Comrades runners cheering him on. Sandile’s journey is what the Comrades Marathon is all about – humbly achieving what once seemed impossible,” said Badenhorst.

“With all your support on Twitter I was motivated to go on and finish the Nedbank Green Mile in 12 minutes! said a humbled Mbili

This is the Nedbank Green Mile – community, passion, challenge and victory, all rolled into one.

“Thank you to everyone involved with the 2016 Nedbank Green Mile – the spectators, the entertainers, the support crew, the charities, the schools, the universities and the Nedbank staff who gave freely of their time to manage our water point. But most importantly, thank you to the real inspirational heroes of the day – the runners who make this the greatest race in the world,” concluded Badenhorst.

You can watch Sandile's story at https://youtu.be/2ZchrUwPico

Watch the 2016 Nedbank Green Mile video here https://youtu.be/MWS14POyCI4

For high-res images of the 2016 Nedbank Green Mile, click on the link: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/3cpv0d9kegw80ji/AAAU1c7wiaD59htItPMGUZcDa?oref=e&n=281151227

SANDTON, JOHANNESBURG, 11 MAY 2016 - Today, 11th of May 2016, Comrades Marathon major sponsor, Nedbank, hosted their elite Nedbank Club runners from around the country at Nedbank’s Head Office in Johannesburg for an official Nedbank Running Club media launch and Comrades marathon send-off. 

This is the first time that Nedbank has hosted its top Comrades Marathon gold medal contenders in the same place at the same time prior to this major race. This momentous occasion allowed media the rare opportunity to interview these elite athletes prior to the Comrades Marathon.

The send-off began at 7am with a 5km fun run/walk around the Nedbank Head Office in Sandton, involving Nedbank Running Club elite runners, their coaches and managers, plus Nedbank staff and executive management, and the media. This was followed by a Nedbank-sponsored breakfast during which Nedbank CEO, Mike Brown, gave a heartfelt speech wishing all runners good luck for their 2016 Comrades Marathon endeavour.

Pro runners flown up for this event included Nedbank Running Club’s Claude Moshiywa, who was the first South African winner of the Comrades Marathon’s ‘Up Run’ in 21 years when he claimed victory at the 88th marathon in 2013. Moshiywa placed 3rd at the 2011 marathon and 7th at the 2015 marathon. 

Also present was Charne Bosman (4th Women – 2016 Two Oceans Marathon, 5th Women – 2015 Two Oceans Marathon, 2nd Women 2015 Comrades Marathon); Ludwick Mamabolo (6th – 2016 Two Oceans Marathon, 2nd - 2014 Comrades Marathon, 4th – 2013 Comrades Marathon); Siphiwe Ndlela (10th – 2016 Two Oceans Marathon, 17th – 2015 Comrades Marathon); Eric Ngubane (19th in 2009 Comrades Marathon), and Renier Grobler (18th in 2015 Comrades Marathon) - will also be at the event.

“This rare but fantastic official media launch and CEO send-off, for and by the Nedbank Running Club, was aimed at giving elite Nedbank-sponsored athletes, Nedbank employees, and the media, the rare opportunity to interact in a fun and informal atmosphere. The send-off was about celebrating the growth of the Nedbank Running Club and how it continues to add immense value to thousands of social and Nedbank Dream Team elite runners across the country. 

This momentous occasion in Nedbank history also offered our CEO, and our formidable runners, the heart-warming opportunity to say hello and thank you to one another, which was an amazing experience for all of them,” said Tobie Badenhorst, Head of Sponsorship and Cause Marketing at Nedbank.  

Nedbank CEO, Mike Brown, took the opportunity to announce that Nedbank has signed a further three-year sponsorship deal with the Nedbank Running Club, which will extend the bank’s support for the club to 2019. Launched in 2008, the Nedbank Running Club’s core focus has been to bring running enthusiasts together in a social but competitive environment, also identifying and guiding talented individuals to their full potential in the sport. Under the expert management of Nick Bester (past Comrades Marathon winner), the Nedbank Running Club has 13 branches in 12 cities around South Africa, and has grown from a base of 1 200 runners in 2008, to 3 800 runners in 2015.

Testament to its success, Nedbank’s representation at the 90th Comrades Marathon in 2015 saw more than 1000 Nedbank Club runners enter the event, with nine of the 20 gold medals going to Nedbank Club members. 

“Nedbank remains a dedicated supporter, and sponsor, of South African runners. Running provides opportunities for all South Africans across cultural, racial and financial barriers. Running is truly a sport for all. We look forward to once again seeing the Nedbank colours fill the streets in the 2016 Comrades Marathon,” said Badenhorst.

At the media launch, Mike Brown also unveiled Nedbank’s 2016 Comrades Marathon CSI initiative to support the #GoSandile campaign.

Said Badenhorst, “Four years ago, 17-year-old Sandile Mbili from Diepsloot in Johannesburg lost his legs due to a bacterial infection. The amputation confined Sandile to a wheelchair. This affected his life tremendously, especially getting to and from school as most taxis would refuse to pick him up. With the help of two non-profit organisations – One School at a Time and the Jumping Kids Foundation – Sandile has been fitted with prosthetic legs.”

To motivate Sandile to walk again using his prosthetic legs, the Jumping Kids Foundation launched a Twitter campaign called #GoSandile, which encourages everyone to tweet motivational messages to him, using the #GoSandile hashtag. These tweets are printed out and given to Sandile at each of his physiotherapy sessions, encouraging him to take another step to success. 

“Nedbank truly believes in this positive campaign to encourage and motivate Sandile to run again, and have challenged Sandile to do something incredible – they have challenged him to run the Nedbank Green Mile, which is 1.6km, at the 2016 Comrades Marathon,” said Badenhorst,

Badenhorst says that this distance will be physically and mentally challenging for Sandile, but what will motivate him tremendously is that he won’t be running for fun, he’ll be running to raise funds for other child paraplegics in a similar situation to himself. 

To help Sandile help other runners like himself – simply send a tweet of encouragement to @PhambiliSandile with the hashtags #GoSandile #NedbankGreenMile.  

With all the tweets received, Nedbank will create a 1.6km Twitter track at the 2016 Comrades Marathon Nedbank Green Mile for Sandile to run over. For every Tweet that Sandile receives and is used for the track, a donation will be made to the Jumping Kids Foundation to help more paraplegic children get prosthetic legs.

Said Sandile, “I am so excited. I like helping people. I can see the difference that these legs have brought to my life and if I can help people by just running, I’ll never stop.”

Editors’ Notes

Nedbank is an official major sponsor of the 2016 Comrades Marathon.

The first Comrades Marathon took place on 24th May 1921, Empire Day, starting outside the City Hall in Pietermaritzburg with 34 runners. It has continued since then every year with the exception of the war years 1941-1945, with the direction alternating each year between Pietermaritzburg and Durban, the so called up & down runs.

The Nedbank Green Mile is the only official spectator point along the marathon route, offering Comrades supporters a perfect vantage point to view all the race action. It is located along Old Main Road in Kloof and is just 26km from the finish line in Kingsmead, Durban.

Entry into the Nedbank Green Mile Spectator Zone is free and festivities start at 8am.

This year the 89-km marathon starts in Pietermaritzburg and ends in Durban on 29 May 2016.

KWAZULU-NATAL, DURBAN, 5 MAY 2016 – To experience ordinary people conquering the extraordinary, be at the award-winning Comrades Marathon Nedbank Green Mile SPECATOR ZONE in Old Main Road, Kloof, on Sunday, 29 May 2016 from 8am to 3pm.

On the day, a 1.2km stretch of road in Kloof will be converted into an energetic mile-long ‘green & gold’ themed spectator and runner zone, orchestrated by Nedbank, to ensure runners, families and friends feel fully immersed in the awe-inspiring, humbling, life-changing Comrades Marathon along the Comrades Marathon route. Dress to theme and join in with the fun and festivities.

The Comrades Marathon is South Africa’s most inclusive sports event, involving a sports discipline that has no cultural, racial or financial barriers and attracting around 350,000 spectators, 3-million global TV viewers and 4 500 volunteers every year, not to mention the real heroes – the approximately 20 000 runners who take on the ‘Ultimate Human Race’.

For millions of South Africans, showing their support for the Comrades Marathon has become an important, unmissable and iconic tradition. Families, friends and colleagues make plans to support competitors, getting up at the crack of dawn, packing picnic baskets, deck chairs and umbrellas, and donning their supporter outfits, to stake out at the Nedbank Green Mile official spectator zone, where they provide encouragement to runners as they take on this immense challenge, whilst being entertained by movement and sound.

“The only place to catch all the 2016 Comrades action is at the only official spectator point along the route, the Nedbank Green Mile. The Nedbank Green Mile has been designed to celebrate the essence of what it means to take part in the Comrades Marathon - courage, selflessness, humbling, dedication and perseverance. In 2016, the Nedbank Green Mile is themed ‘Green and Gold’, and will see Kloof’s Old Main Road transformed into a rejuvenating, eco-friendly, celebratory, community-orientated space alive in green and gold. It is the real story of triumph over adversity,” says Tobie Badenhorst, Head of Sponsorship and Cause Marketing at Nedbank.

The 2016 Nedbank Green Mile will be bringing in a host of KwaZulu-Natal-based entertainment acts, including DJs, bands, professional dancers, drummies, cheerleaders, and local sports personalities and more. They’ll be performing from 8am to 3pm on race day, entertaining supporters throughout the spectator-friendly zone, and most importantly, encouraging runners as they embark on the final 26km stretch home to the finish at Kingsmead Stadium in Durban.

For children, the secure Kids Entertainment Zone is open from 8am and will feature fun-filled activities and entertainment acts like jumping castles, magicians, clowns, stilt walkers, balloon artists, puppet shows and face painting and sand art.

Throughout the day, spectators can watch all the Comrades Marathon action live via big screen TVs in the Nedbank Green Mile zone, with live commentary, picnic spots and grand stands located right alongside the route.

On site, there will also be food and drinks stands to replenish hungry and thirsty spectators. All food and drinks in the Nedbank Green Mile are sold by local schools, churches and charities, with all profits retained by these organisations.

In line with Nedbank’s commitment to greening the environment, all food and beverage packaging along the Nedbank Green Mile will be recycled.

“A major feature of the Nedbank Green Mile is its goal to involve and uplift the community. This is why all entertainment acts, support crews, food and beverage vendors are sourced from KwaZulu-Natal. This year, the Nedbank Green Mile will also be supporting two local children’s charities, the Star Fish Foundation and The Sports Trust,” says Badenhorst.

The Nedbank Green Mile is open from 8am to 3pm on Sunday, 29 May 2016. Entry is free and easy access can be gained from the M13 Hillcrest - Pinetown alternative highway travelling east towards Durban at the Pioneer off ramp. Follow the sign boards or follow www.facebook.com/nedbanksport/ or www.twitter.com/nedbanksport on Twitter for more information.

Use the hashtag #NedbankGreenMile to join the conversation.

Editors’ Notes

Nedbank is an official major sponsor of the 2016 Comrades Marathon.

The first Comrades Marathon took place on 24th May 1921, Empire Day, starting outside the City Hall in Pietermaritzburg with 34 runners. It has continued since then every year with the exception of the war years 1941-1945, with the direction alternating each year between Pietermaritzburg and Durban, the so called up & down runs.

The Nedbank Green Mile is the only official spectator point along the marathon route, offering Comrades supporters a perfect vantage point to view all the race action. It is located along Old Main Road in Kloof and is just 26km from the finish line in Kingsmead, Durban.

Entry into the Nedbank Green Mile Spectator Zone is free and festivities start at 8am.

This year the 89-km marathon starts in Pietermaritzburg and ends in Durban on 29 May 2016.

KWAZULU-NATAL, DURBAN, 5 MAY 2016 – To experience ordinary people conquering the extraordinary, be at the award-winning Comrades Marathon Nedbank Green Mile SPECATOR ZONE in Old Main Road, Kloof, on Sunday, 29 May 2016 from 8am to 3pm.

On the day, a 1.2km stretch of road in Kloof will be converted into an energetic mile-long ‘green & gold’ themed spectator and runner zone, orchestrated by Nedbank, to ensure runners, families and friends feel fully immersed in the awe-inspiring, humbling, life-changing Comrades Marathon along the Comrades Marathon route. Dress to theme and join in with the fun and festivities.