The Cancer Awareness Initiative at Rhodes (CAIR) alongside Ruth First House hosted their annual cyclathon at the Rhodes Health Suite aerobics hall on Saturday 27 April.
The fun-filled action day saw nine teams raise awareness and compete to finish strongly and claim the small prizes on offer.
The cyclathon lasted four hours with every member of each team cycling an hour and effectively donating R1 per minute completed.
Atherstone House, Beit House, Oppidans, and Rhodes SRC members were among the participating teams and members of the wider Grahamstown community were also encouraged to take part.
Alongside the cycling event was a hair initiative in which donors of R30 could either shave, curl or braid their hair.
Charlene Donald, house committee member at Ruth First house, indicated that the Grahamstown Hospice were the main beneficiaries while the day’s events gave people a chance to show support for those living with cancer.
“This event has been happening for three years now and every year we get a much better response than the previous year,’’ said Donald. She was glad to see more people taking part in the Hair for CAIR initiative.
The competitive atmosphere was enhanced by singing, placards and spirited motivations to the dedicated cycling teams.
Owethu Makhathini, a third year student from Atherstone house, felt the need to participate as a tribute to her Grandmother who was recently diagnosed with cancer “This is my first time participating and it is only now that I realize how great this initiative is,’’ said Makhatini.
CAIR collaborated with the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA) on this event for the past two years , but Stacey Weeks, the vice-chair of CAIR, indicated their different approach. “CANSA is a big trade mark and because of that, there are strict rules and no flexibility when it comes to this event hence we decided to try this on our own,” she said.
Caption: Participants of the cyclathon endured long pedal battles in the name of cancer awareness.
Picture by: Gavin Bannerman
Story by Palesa Diale
Source: Oppidan Press