Khayelihle Funeral Services‚ a perennial sponsor of the KwaZulu-Natal capital city's races - including the Maritzburg Marathon‚ 100 Capital and the Mandela Day Marathon - said it decided to host its own race in a bid to encourage customers‚ and the community at large‚ to take care of their health. It is hosted under the theme Sibathanda Bephila‚ which translates to: "We love them while they are still alive."
The undertaker's spokeswoman‚ Thandiwe Zamisa‚ said it promises to be "an epic race with no dead heat" as the winner will walk away with a gold medal and company paraphernalia. Zamisa said they will also be creating awareness about the shortage of burial space and alternative burial methods in a city that is also run by an undertaker and Khayelihle's former rival‚ mayor Themba Njilo.
Zamisa said Khayelihle was started by Muzi Mkhize‚ now its CEO‚ after the painful experience of losing a loved one and finding that the service he received was not up to standard. It was then that he saw that there was a gap in the market.
The race starts at 7am from Ethembeni Cemetery in the south east of Pietermaritzburg to Mountain Rise Cemetery in the northern suburbs.
"In future there will be prize money‚ so missing this event will be committing a grave mistake!" quipped a fervent Zamisa.
- TimesLIVE