Toyota runners follow footsteps of shipwreck survivors - Sep 1, 2008

Extreme athletes David Grier and Braam Malherbe are running a rugged route to Mozambique that claimed the lives of all but a handful of shipwreck survivors more than 350 years earlier.

Perhaps appropriately the two Capetonian runners faced howling winds, driving rain and gale force warnings as they shadowed a hiking trail into Port Elizabeth pioneered by the crew of the Portuguese galleon Sacramento, which slammed onto the rocks at Schoenmakerskop on June 30, 1647.

Seventy two castaways then began an epic 1 300km overland journey to Delagoa Bay in Mozambique, with just nine surviving the gruelling six-month trek to what is the present-day Mozambican capital of Maputo.

Braam, a 50-year-old environmentalist who works in youth development, said: “On a storm-lashed day like today it is easy to imagine what might have happened to those luckless mariners, although their subsequent ordeal must have been infinitely more challenging than anything we’ll experience, with the added hazard of wild animals like lion and elephant roaming feely along the coast.

“We also have the benefit of our Toyota 4x4 support crew, superb maps and the welcome choice of following the beach or nearby roads and tracks along our 3 500km route.”

David, a 48-year-old chef and restaurant owner, is passionate about the South African coast they’re running at the rate of around 45km a day, but holds it in deep respect. “Divide the number of known shipwrecks by the length of the coast and you appreciate how dangerous it was and still is today, with a wreck for every kilometre of coastline.”

For centuries the southern tip of Africa was a formidable barrier to sea travel because its rugged coast was pounded by fearsome waves and ferocious storms; and it wasn’t until the 15th century that Portuguese and Spanish caravels launched an exciting new period of exploration.

Arriving in Port Elizabeth on Sunday was cause for celebration as the runners passed the 2 000km barrier during the Toyota-supported Cipla Spar Miles for Smiles Coastal Challenge, which started in the Namibian frontier town of Oranjemund two months earlier on July 1.

This week they continue their fund-raising run towards East London and Durban, with plans to finish in the Mozambican holiday resort of Ponta do Ouro, where they hope to swim with dolphins.

The goal of the challenge, which is supported by Toyota South Africa, is to help change young lives forever by raising R3.5-million for reconstructive surgery for more than 600 children with facial disfigurements.

The first 26 operations were performed this past week at the Madikane Ka-Zulu Memorial Hospital in the Eastern Cape hamlet of Mount Frere with members of the Miles for Smiles team on hand to offer support and encouragement to the children.

David and Braam’s daily progress can be charted on the Operation Smile SA website where online donations can also be made. Visit www.milesforsmiles.co.za and www.toyota.co.za