Top SA athletes and fun runners will hit the streets of Pretoria at the biggest road-running event in Gauteng – the Bestmed TuksRace – on Saturday, 20 February 2016.
The 10km race winner, Rutendo Nyahora, will defend her title at this race while also preparing for an upcoming marathon in Europe. Among the top athletes participating will be LJ Van Zyl – Bestmed’s brand ambassador and Irvette van Zyl who recently completed 10km in 33 minutes and 30 seconds at one of the Athletics Gauteng North (AGN) races.
The Bestmed TuksRace starts at the High Performance Centre entrance and will finish at the rugby/soccer field adjacent to the athletics stadium. Each year, the race draws a combination of the cream of South Africa’s elite athletes, social runners and fun runners. The event comprises a choice of 21,1km, 10 km, 5km and 1km race distances, as well as a 10km wheelchair race.
“This is an event that grows in popularity and stature each year and we are very excited to welcome Tuks’ Professor Cheryl De La Rey again this year, who will be participating in the 10km distance. Last year she competed with Bestmed’s CEO Dries la Grange in the launch of the 1km race, where funds were raised and donated to the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA),” says Chris Luyt, Executive: Marketing and Sales at Bestmed.
“This year’s proceeds will again be donated to CANSA. We invite the public to take part in the 1km race where the proceeds of the 1km race will be donated to CANSA and the 1km fun runners will receive a pink flag,” adds Luyt.
Dries La Grange, CEO of Bestmed, says that it’s great to see such a mix of participants, from professional runners and walkers, wheelchair participants to families and children. “With our goal to encourage healthy living and preventative healthcare, we are committed to sponsoring and supporting events, such as the Bestmed TuksRace, which since our partnership in 2011, has become one of the foremost events on the South African calendar.”
Bestmed’s relationship with the University of Pretoria spans over six decades. To date, the partnership includes the sponsorship of the TuksAthletics stable – the imminent TuksRace, TuksAthletics, the First Aid and Sports Trauma unit at TuksSport, the Medical Science Unit at the High Performance Centre (HPC), and the University of Pretoria Football Club.
“From its humble beginnings in 2000, the TuksRace has grown to become one of the most important annual events in the Tuks sporting diary,” says Professor Gloudien Spies, Chairperson of Tuks Marathon Clubs. “We are grateful to Bestmed for their sponsorship of this event over the last six years, as their involvement has enabled this race to become one of South Africa’s most prestigious and sought after road-running events.”
This year the 21,1km and 10km races promise to be even more competitive as the bar has been set high in previous years.
The Bestmed TuksRace follows the recent Bestmed Eersterust Marathon, one of Bestmed’s community development initiatives that took place on 16 January 2016.
Athletes can pre-enter at different sport shops in Pretoria, Wannabee sport shop on the UP campus, on the day of the race and online entries can be submitted on www.entrytime.com or www.sa-active.com until 19 February 2016.
Over 13 000 runners expected at the 2016 Bestmed TuksRace
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