| Africa’s largest virtual race partners with SADAG to raise awareness on mental Health Nedbank has announced its third instalment of Runified. To do its part in realising a mentally healthier South Africa, Nedbank will be donating R10 000 to the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) if a Nedbank Running Club elite runner finishes in the top three in the Nedbank Runified Breaking Barriers 50 km Ultramarathon on Sunday, 6 March 2022. The Nedbank Runified series was launched in 2020 as an opportunity to instil a sense of togetherness when we were apart due to restrictions brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic. Over 284 thousand runners participated, completing over 9 million kilometres, making the series most popular participated virtual running series in Africa according to Strava. Moving into its third year, Nedbank Runified is encouraging more runners to join the movement to better mental health under its new meaning, ‘runify’. Nedbank Runified started as a proactive response to fight the initial societal effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the mental health epidemic existed long before the pandemic and intensified over the lockdown period. Mental health is a massive concern in South Africa and it needs the right awareness and support structures. With Runified, Nedbank aims to create opportunities for support groups that bring people together through running. With the lockdown restrictions easing, it is an opportunity for all of us to join and experience more physical events, including running. ‘South Africa scored the lowest in a mental health and were also cited as having the highest financial distress according to a report released by Sapien Labs. At Nedbank, we believe that there is a strong need to create awareness around mental health as there is a correlation between mental health and our ability to manage our money well. Studies have shown that running improves your mental health and could also lead one to make better money choices,’ says Nthabiseng Matshekga, Nedbank Executive Head: Group Marketing. In 2021 the Nedbank Runified Breaking Barriers 50 km Ultramarathon was the first running event since the start of the national lockdown, having created an opportunity to put runners back on the road. This year the ultramarathon returns to Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality on Sunday, 6 March 2022. It is an ideal opportunity for Nedbank not to only help maintain running in South Africa, but also to bring 110 athletes together to run in solidarity in the fight for mental health. “One in three South Africans currently have or at some point in their lifetime will have an issue with mental health. While the impacts of Covid-19 has affected the mental health of many South African’s, it is important to raise awareness and get the message out for everyone to look after their mental well-being every day and find sustainable and healthy ways to manage it. That is why the partnership with Nedbank is so important, it allows us to build a support structure while raising awareness in our communities,” says Cassey Chambers, Operations Director at SADAG Participating athletes will each receive a green ribbon – the international symbol for mental health awareness – to represent the goal of Runified. Not only will there be a strong presence of elite international and national athletes, but also athletes will unify through running and show their support for mental health. ‘It remains imperative for us as money experts who do good to create platforms that offer support to our communities. We have an incredible stable of top contenders who are members of the Nedbank Running Club, so to further show our support Nedbank will make an initial donation of R10 000 to SADAG should a Nedbank Running Club member finish the race in the top three in either the male or female categories,’ adds Matshekga. Between April and October Nedbank will host group runs across South Africa, and we encourage everyone to get involved. You can also join the runs virtually via Strava. Sign up to the Nedbank Running Club on Strava for updates on upcoming group runs, SADAG fundraisers and general information on how to get involved and win incredible prizes from our sponsors. Nedbank Running Club is more than a club and welcomes runners of all fitness levels to unify through running. Let us runify in our support for mental well-being, and take our first steps towards a happier, healthier South Africa. |
