Barefoot Comrades Marathon runner Graham Wills will take to the streets with no shoes again this year, running to raise funds for charity.
This year’s 85.91km Comrades Marathon will go from Durban to Pietermaritzburg.
Wills, 48, has a deep passion for the homeless, particularly children living on the street due to the inadequate number of shelters.
Former president Nelson Mandela’s quote that, “it looks impossible until it’s done” is what Wills uses to motivate himself as he prepares to tackle the world’s most gruelling ultra-marathon barefooted, again.
Currently living in London but originally from Pietermaritzburg, Wills said his participation was not about chasing times or winning a medal, but “fulfilling the desire in his heart” to raise funds for a good cause.
Agreeing that running without shoes was not an easy task, and that it may look silly to some, he was looking forward to the race and was “amped” for it.
“Yeah it’s not like a simple smooth walk in the park. To run the Comrades Marathon is not easy at all and even worse without shoes. You are exposed to a lot of danger, pain, blisters and aches. My participation is about sending a strong message out there, overcoming those obstacles on the road and to fulfil my annual mission,” said Wills.
With no serious or intense training runs, like those of elite athletes, Wills said he trained depending on his daily schedule.
“I always try my best to run at least 10km or 15km a day (in the morning). On weekends I normally go for long runs in order to accumulate the required mileage,” he said.
Wills will be raising funds for Run For A Roof, which is an initiative of the One Life Foundation and he hopes to raise R200 000 to help them. This is his fourth race having first entered in 2021.
