AFTER recently completing a 1 000km walk to raise money for charity, Audie Claassen (69), from Kareedouw, has extended his walk to an additional 4 000km, in the hope that he will be able to raise much-needed funds for organisations, local schools, and families in need.
As previously reported in the Kouga Express, Claassen, who is a former long-distance athlete, began participating in cross country running in 1966, when he started high school.
He then joined the Port Elizabeth Amateur Athletic Club and stayed at the club until 2015, when he joined the Charlo Athletic Club in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth).
In the past 55 years Claassen has completed over 1 000 races, but his passion for running was brought to a halt in October 2019, when he had a heart valve replacement operation.
He initially contracted rheumatic fever in 1962, when he was just 10 years old, which caused damage to his heart and in 1986, he suffered a heart attack.
Despite his heart attack, he continued participating in various races, but after his heart valve replacement almost two years ago, he had to stop running and, instead, began walking to remain fit.
In a bid to give back to the Heart Foundation and the Christiaan Barnard Memorial Hospital, Claassen said in May last year he began his journey to complete a 1 000km walk to raise money for the two organisations and within four months he accomplished his goal and was able to raise R 1 900.
“I began walking and raising funds for these two organisations because they had done so much for me and my heart for many years and now it is time for me to pay them back for all their hard work,” said Claassen.
To continue raising more money for these two organisations, he plans to walk an additional 4 000km.
Thus far Claassen has already walked a total of 2 400km, which he keeps track of by documenting each kilometre and hopes to reach 5 000km by August 2022.
“Walking is part of my lifestyle. I walk every day of the year, no matter the weather. If I am fit enough to walk, I will continue walking as much as I can,” said Claassen. “My motto is that I walk to live and live to walk.”
Apart from raising funds for the Heart Foundation and the Christiaan Barnard Memorial Hospital, Claassen plans to raise funds for four primary schools in Kareedouw, two charities and two families in need of financial assistance.
To raise the necessary funds, Claassen walks between 4km and 14km each day and goes from door-to-door to encourage people to donate to the worthy cause.
In addition, Claassen who often sells fresh produce from his farm in Kareedouw, contributes 3% of his profits to his fund-raising initiative.
Claassen said each cent donated has helped towards reaching his target and if everyone in South Africa was able to donate R1, he would be able to raise a lot of money for his various fund-raising initiatives.
Apart from donating, he has also encouraged anyone who would like to join him on his walk to feel free to do so.
- For more information or to donate contact Audie Claassen on 082 451 5205.
