“I wanted to start a group that would provide runners and walkers with a focused approach and a safe running environment,” said Laurie Lewis.
Laurie, who has been part of the Florida Running Club for many years, broke away from the club in January this year and said, “I was approached by a large number of runners who asked me to create a group completely independent of and with no alliance to a running club. I felt that this was a good idea, as it became evident that support for the runners, whether at training or at race events, was lacking. I started Team Active to address these issues.”
Team Active currently has 41 regular runners that get together on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings, as well as on Saturday mornings. “We offer the community the opportunity to walk or run with others, and, where requested, to follow a programme that will help them to achieve their goals, whether it is to improve their distance, get fit and be active or eventually enter a race. We promise safety in numbers and that nobody will ever walk or run alone, no matter how slow or fast you are,” he explained.
Some of the Team Active members have already been quite busy, participating in most of the major race events, including the Dis-Chem 21k, Sasolburg, Deloittes, and Vaal marathons and half marathons as well as the Pirates half marathon. They have also recently competed in the Sunrise Monster.
“Two of our members, Neil and Sian, finished the Cango Marathon, both achieving a personal best times of three hours and 31 minutes and three hours and 45 minutes respectively. Four members completed the Kosmos 3-in-1 in Secunda, which requires entrants to run a marathon, a half marathon and a 10 km run in one day. We also had runners who completed the Edenvale marathon and half marathon. We also had members swimming the Midmar Mile,” Laurie said.
He added that they were all preparing for a number of upcoming races in anticipation of this year’s Comrades Marathon, and some team members will also be competing in triathlons, including the Iron Man.
The group uses the NG Church Constantiakruin, situated at 15 Liebenberg Street in Constantia Kloof, as their base, and Laurie explained, “The church has kindly allowed us the use of their facilities, which includes bathroom facilities and secure parking. We also do not charge a fee to become part of Team Active, and welcome anyone who is interested in joining us.”
For more information on exactly what the group offers, visit their Facebook page, Team Active (https://www.facebook.com/Team-Active-2116442268431747/) or contact Laurie by sending an email to lauriel@lightstone.co.za.
