For four out of five days every week, Westridge Gardens gets spotted with pink.
From Mondays to Thursdays members of the Women’s Walk to Wellness group hike, jaunt, traipse, saunter or stroll through the gardens — depending on their individual fitness levels.
Some of the more fit in the group even come on the weekends and take part in parkruns – or complete the odd marathon in their spare time.
This is despite the fact that most of the group — bar one 36-year-old — are all 50 and above years old. The eldest of the group is 79 but none of them like the term “seniors” and insist that the collective is a “wellness group” and not a seniors’ club.
“Our members’ ages range from 36 to 79,” said founder Shinaaz Adjiet, of Colorado Park.
Informal beginnings
Adjiet said the group started forming around her informally in 2016 when she used to walk with friends “up and down the road”.
“People followed us and then later joined,” Adjiet said.
Safety was the motivating factor, Adjiet found, and soon more women joined.
As the numbers grew, so too did the ambitions, and soon the group started doing other activities, such as outings, hikes, competitions, charity walks, fund-raisers and exercise programmes.
Biggest loser
There are several events the groups host annually, including a biggest loser competition. This year’s biggest loser is Felina Lucas of Rondevlei.
She recounts that when she first joined the group she could only make one circuit of the gardens.
She made friends however, who became her coaches and role models and helped her improve her fitness.
“The day I put on my pink sweater, my heart became pink,” Lucas said.
Marathon moments
One of the role models in the group is Kamiela Daniels of Woodlands. Daniels completed a 21km marathon for the first time this year.
“She didn’t even start off with the 15k,” Adjiet said proudly. “She went straight to the 21k.”
Daniels’ journey to running marathons in her fifties started when she decided to join the park runs on the weekends, over and above her weekly walking activities.
There she connected with running clubs who encouraged her to try a marathon.
“I’ve always been jumping around,” Daniels said, saying that her grandchildren and nieces are not surprised by her fitness goals because movement has always been a part of her life.
“Walking is second nature to me,” Daniels said.
“I used to do the surf walks and beach walks. Walking does wonders for one’s mental health,” she said.
Prior to the marathon, Daniels said that she did a few 10km races.
“This year I decided I’ll do the Titans 21km,” she said, adding that she was comfortable with the route because it was familiar.
READ MORE: Residents learn how to prune roses at Westridge Gardens
Amazingly, she finished the race with no additional intensive training.
“Only walking and running in the gardens while my ladies do their morning walk,” Daniels said.
The group offered her additional support by showing up in their numbers to man the final water station on the route and cheering when they saw their clubmate approaching.
Daniels admits that the last 4km were the hardest and seeing the pink blur in the distance chanting for her gave her the boost she needed to claim her completion medal.
“When we saw her coming on in the pink sweater, we were so proud,” said Adjiet.
You must be logged in to post a comment.