Diary of some MADmen – The last one!

Diary of some MADmen is a weekly entry from three crazy guys who are part of the #TEAM18 for MAD2run. They will be running from Joburg to Cape Town, in relay, to raise funds for the MAD Leadership Foundation. For those of you who know the three guys; Josh, Kurt and Allan, what they say in their weekly diary entry could more often than not, be taken as them fooling around. But, as they are all Elite Athletes, we aren’t entirely sure if they are…

JOSH

Hello!

I hope that everyone is well and that your 2018 is rocking!

It’s time for us to sign off on this amazing journey! It’s been one hell of a ride and definitely would not have been possible without all the support we have received! So, a very sincere THANK YOU to everyone.

We managed to make it to Cape Town and completed our MAD2Run journey all in one piece! There was plenty of coffee drunk, many painkillers popped, and memories made with a bunch of new mates! It’s not every day that you have to share a car with people for 8+ hours…

It was a phenomenal week on the road with the 2018 MADsters, but in actual fact this journey has taken place over 9 months. From our application submission, team fundraising events, miniMAD (where we got a rude awakening on the fitness required) and then the week on the road to CT.

To Kurt and Al, you guys are legends. Thanks for the crazy idea, still not sure who to pin it on! It was special to share the memories with you boys and I am pleased that we didn’t have any mango moments and are still mates!

KURT

Dear Diary.

It is pretty emotional writing this, as we “wrap up” our entries and journey for MAD2Run 2018. Words cannot really describe the journey we faced, the people we met, the memories we acquired, the friendships formed, the places we visited and the R1.2m we raised to better the life or many South African scholars.

Ran from JHB- CPT – Check!
Formed new friendships with a bunch of like minded, inspiring legends – Check!
Memories to last a lifetime – Check!
Inspired by the team and surprised myself – Check!
Grateful for all the support, messages, calls, donations and love from friends and family – Check!
Ran at sunset in the Karoo – Check!
Ran at sunrise in the Karoo – Check!
Ran in the rain and in 35 deg heat – Check!
Stayed awake for 56 hours straight – Check!
Got injured – Check!
Had a mango moment – Negative (although Allan and Josh may disagree)!
Had a boskak – Negative (although very close)!
Ate a sh1t load of wine gums and sweets and drank many litres of electrolytes – Check!
Ran my first ever 10 km without stopping – Check!
Ran my first ever 2 Oceans half marathon – Check!
Getting a personal motivational Whatsapp message from Francois Pienaar – Check! (Thanks aunt Jo)
Meeting many scholars along the way and hearing their inspiring and emotional stories of how MAD has changed their lives – Check!
Raised a whopping R1.2 million for the MAD leadership foundation – Check!

These are just a few of the many epic experiences I encountered on my journey!

I am forever grateful for being able to do this experience, thank you Dayle and Shaun for “believing in me”. To my direct teammates, Allan and Josh, you boys are true gems, true champions and true mates, I will never forget this experience.

Lastly, but definitely not least, a massive thanks to each and everyone of you for being apart of this, especially the Nuttall family, my CN&CO family and my Tanya!

ALLAN

We have been a little quiet over the last few weeks, since our run from Joburg to Cape Town reached its end. But the journey wasn’t over. We had a few more weeks to bring in pledges and other donations. This past Sunday, most of #TEAM18 got together, for what won’t be the last time, to hand over a cheque of R1,2 million.

Josh and Kurt sum it up well in their diary entries above. My journey was equally special. We tested ourselves in a number of aspect. Fitness while running, remaining calm when things didn’t go according to plan. Pushing through physical and emotional barriers and so much more.

Getting down to Cape Town was unbelievable and too quick. To try explain to someone who hasn’t done it is extremely difficult. I liken it to going to Burning Man – Unless you have experienced things on the road and witnessed what we have, you cant understand it.

I won’t go into all the details, both tough and beautiful, of my 7 days on the road (if you want to know, give me a shout or drop me a mail). I would simply like to thank everyone who has had an impact on my life during this 10 month long journey. To those who spoke to me wishing me, and us, goodluck, those that sent well wishes via whatsapp, Facebook, twitter and other channels and of course to those that donated time and money to this amazing cause – THANK YOU!

My biggest thanks go to Kurtus and Joshy for being part of an epic “Team Average Joe’s”

As we sign off this last diary entry for our Journey of MAD2Run 2018, keep an eye on our social media channels and drops us a line every now and then to see what next crazy, beautiful thing we are up to.

Have a great long weekend.

See you out there.

xoxox