A Cape Town ultra-marathon athlete is set to run 27 laps, or 67,5 km, around Rondebosch Common for his 67-minute tribute to late former President Nelson Mandela on the latter’s birthday, 18 July, celebrated annually as Nelson Mandela International Day (Mandela Day). The significance of the 67 minutes lies in each one representing a year of “Madiba’s” life of public service, from 1943 to 2010.
Athlete Denver van der Bergh’s Mandela Day Run falls on a Saturday and each lap represents a year the international human-rights figure and icon of the struggle for justice spent in prison. For him, this is a training run and preparation for a bigger run next year, from Cape Town to Namibia in 2027 as part of his SA Smile a Mile Run. Once in Namibia he will take part in the 250 km Beyond the Ultimate Desert Ultra.
Last year, Van der Bergh undertook a similar challenge, running from Cape Town to Durban, where he then took part in the 2025 Comrades Marathon.
The run at Rondebosch starts at 08:00 and any athletes interested in joining him are welcome, he said.
The 49-year-old will do 27 laps, but other athletes can join him for one lap or decide their own distance. They can run, walk or just come out for support, he said. “It is all about recovery, hope and community.”
There will be a lucky draw and prizes will also be won.
Addiction
Van der Bergh is a former drug addict who turned his life around, becoming an inspiration to others, thanks to help he received from the Ramot Treatment Centre for Substance Abuse in Parow. He struggled with alcohol and drug addiction for 25 years and has been sober for the past five years. “I returned to education, earned my degree, repaired relationships and discovered something that would reshape my life completely – endurance running.”
He is also planning on running from Cape Town to Cairo in Egypt in 2028, a run he wants to document in the Guinness World Records. “So, my run from Cape Town to Namibia is a warm-up run for Cairo and the 27 laps, or 67,5 km, for Mandela Day is a training run for Namibia.”
Van der Bergh is also the founder of the non-profit organisation Serenity Strides Foundation.
“I am so excited. I learnt a lot from my previous run and this time I actually have a personal instructor, who offered to train me for free for the entire Cairo odyssey so I can avoid injuries.”
Visit the Serenity Strides Foundation website.
READ ALSO: Ultra-marathon athlete now sets sights on CapeTown-Namibia run
