Retired residents show they still have what it takes

St Michael’s Retirement Village held its 9th annual marathon that was attended by residents of the village.

The morning was off to a cold start but it did not deter the retired residents from coming out in their sportiest outfits with their walking sticks, and others brought along their canine companions.

According to Dawn Meyer, who is the Matron at the village, the course was a gruelling one kilometre which saw the contenders taking on the tricky turns located inside the marked route in the village. “Although the competitors are all up for the challenge. we thought it would be wise to get two ambulances from the Quick Response Service to assist us in case of any unforeseen emergencies.”

As the ‘athletes’ lined up for the start of the race, the Olympic theme song Chariots of Fire started playing in the back ground and you could see the intensity in their eyes and at exactly 10am on 23 August, the whistle blew and the competitors were off to a blistering quick start.

Denver Ramnarain from the Quick Response Service said, “The runners were led by a scooter ‘pace vehicle’ that was driven by one of our paramedics and he had quite a challenge to keep ahead of the pack of competitors that were eager to complete the race as fast as possible.”

He added that four watering points were ready next to the route to quench the thirst of the runners.

After about 10 minutes, the first runner was across the line with the others hot on her heels with their walking sticks.

St Michaels Retirement Village secretary Erika Joubert said the spectators were waiting for their friends to cross the finish line.

“A whole line of older residents were standing in a long row in their wheelchairs with their blankets draped over them to keep off the winter chill. They started screaming and applauding as their friends appeared into sight and it created a spirit that was hard to forget.”

When the last competitor came around the corner, everyone was on their feet cheering her on while a couple of women sped off to prepare hot dogs and ice-cream for the ‘tired’ competitors at the community centre.

A prize-giving ceremony took place and every single competitor received a certificate and a large chocolate slab to restore their energy.

Joubert concluded, “I want to thank everyone that participated in the event and I want to send a big thanks to the paramedics from the Quick Response Service who took time out of their busy schedules to come and assist us.”