A local resident is training to run from Stellenbosch to Robertson for an initiative aiming to collect 1 000 sanitary pads.
This is according to Keith Present, executive and events coordinator for Cloetesville Football Club, who will be running “roughly around 150km” to Robertson with his cousin, Marlon Present, from 28 to 30 August, he said.
Keith Present, who will be running to Robertson from 28 to 30 August in support of a sanitary drive, said that he has had to change his eating habits in preparation. “Basically, I changed my whole diet for the whole month,” he said. “Sugars and a lot of stuff I cut out. I did lose a little bit of weight, but it’s for a good cause at the end of the day.” PHOTO: Reid Donson
They will first run to Worcester and sleep over by Keith’s aunt, and will then run to Robertson from there, said Keith. They will also be running back to Stellenbosch from Robertson, he said.
The run forms part of the Run4Wings initiative that Keith started last year, in which he runs a certain distance to raise funds for sanitary pads for women and girls in the community, he said.
So far, this year’s initiative has collected 300 pads, with the goal being 1 000, said Keith.
Keith Present’s pair of running sneakers was sponsored by Roger Noades, director of Joma South Africa, according to Keith. “Sometimes I have blisters after my running,” said Keith. “That was the most important thing for us, that we could get new running shoes.” PHOTO: Reid Donson
Last year, Keith ran 10km a day for 10 days for Run4Wings, he said.
“I told [my team], you know what, next year I’m going to run to Robertson. And the people laughed at me,” said Keith. “And now they see that I’m serious about this thing.”
‘A good cause’
Keith said that Run4Wings’ mission is to make sanitary pads freely available to women in the community.
“Sex is a choice, but to have your period every month, you don’t have a choice,” he said. “Sanitary pads must be free everywhere.”
“My heartbeat is for the community,” said Keith Present, who will be running to Robertson from 28 to 30 August in support of the Run4Wings sanitary drive. “Sometimes it’s so difficult in the communities that the parents can’t even afford to [buy] a packet of sanitary pads.” PHOTO: Reid Donson
Marlon, who lives in Saldanha Bay, said that he decided to join Keith this year because he was inspired by his cousin’s goal.
“Wow, what an idea. It’s actually true. Because you don’t have a choice to get periods,” said Marlon, in correspondence with SMF News. “Then I decided I’m gonna join him because it’s for the love of running, for the love of women, and it’s a good cause.”
‘The need is so big’
Keith said that he hopes to create a Run4Wings hub: a daily provider of sanitary products in the community.
“I love running,” said Keith Present, who plans to run to Robertson on 28 August in support of a sanitary drive. “Running is always part of my daily life, my daily routine.” Keith said that he has to motivate himself to run every day. “I must discipline myself at the end of the day,” he said. “If you wake up this morning, you must make up your mind [whether] you’re going to run or you’re going to lie down.” PHOTO: Reid Donson
Rafiek Harris, the administrator for the United Stellenbosch Community Facebook page, has been helping to raise awareness about the Run4Wings initiative on social media, according to Keith.
“The need is so big out there,” said Rafiek, in correspondence with SMF News. “The need for these young ladies to even purchase sanitary towels at the moment. [They] can’t afford it.”
There are currently drop-off points in Jamestown, Cloetesville, and at Welgevonden Spar, where people can donate sanitary pads, said Keith.
Keith Present started the Run4Wings initiative in 2024 to collect sanitary pads for girls and women who can’t afford them, he said. “I started this thing,” said Keith. “If I must stand alone, I must stand alone. If I have two or three or five packets of pads, in those five people’s lives, I make a change. There’s a smile on someone’s face […] So that is my motivation.” PHOTO: Reid Donson
Keith and Marlon’s run begins at Welgevonden Spar on Thursday 28 August, according to Keith.
“I’m ready to hit the road,” said Keith. “I’m ready.”