Meet Pascal Simba - Roodepoort’s favourite parkrun cheerleader

Every Saturday at 8am thousands of South Africans take out their running shoes and head towards their local parkrun venue.

Every Saturday at 8am thousands of South Africans take out their running shoes and head towards their local parkrun venue. When you've got a cheerleader making sure you do your very best, it can make all the difference to your run. Just ask the folks at Roodepoort parkrun.

Thanks to a viral video of Pascal Simba clapping and cheering strangers at the Roodepoort parkrun, he has found sudden fame.

Simba, a part-time Unisa lecturer and PhD student in chemical engineering, never imagined he would celebrate his 46th birthday by being a social media star.

“I think encouragement is the least I can offer. You are only successful if you can impact someone’s life and change it for the better. Don’t ever complain; take in the process as a learning phase. It’s the same when you run; it’s hard but focus on the end result. Enjoy it and push yourself,” Simba said. 

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