THOSE who never even ran a kilometer are now devoted to hitting the road every morning to keep fit.
This is all thanks to the hashtag #RunningWithTumiSole, which has got people in and out of Mzansi running.
The hashtag, which has gained momentum, trends almost every morning, with runners sharing how many kilometers they ran.
The man behind the hashtag is Tumi Sole who is also the founder of Country Duty.
He said the initiative started as a result of an accident in 2015, which left him traumatised and with sleepless nights.
His counsellor recommended he find something to do, to deal with the trauma, and he chose running.
“It changed my life and I also lost a lot of weight,” said Tumi.
He said people who never ran before thanked him for the motivation they got from the hashtag.
The hashtag has also attracted attention from other countries, with people from Dubai, Australia, London, Kigali in Rwanda, Lesotho and Zimbabwe also participating in the movement.
Tumi told Daily Sun he hoped the environment was more conducive for female runners, who may be targeted by thugs.
“It becomes better if they run in groups,” he said.
#RunningWithTumiSole
Morning shift, are ba keneng! pic.twitter.com/ngEaI85t7e— Tumi Sole (@tumisole) February 18, 2020
He advised those running in the dark to buy illuminated clothing to be visible on the road.
Unathi Sonwabile (38) said before the hashtag, he had never run and only hiked once a month.
“I joined the movement and became healthier,” he said.
He said he was motivated to hit the road every morning and run 5 to 10 kilometers.
“I have lost almost 5kg since I joined the movement.”
He said the hashtag demonstrated a good use of social media.
Unathi said running has made hiking much easier for him and he now lived a healthy lifestyle.
Tumi was also nominated as one of 2019’s 100 Most Influential Young South Africans.
#RunningWithTumiSole #2020PretoriaMarathon
Thanks to all abo mgijimi… I don’t belong to any running club but today managed to do my personal best because of this hashtag… 21km in 2:19… pic.twitter.com/tyS4oHi4uF— Mojaki Ramatsoele (@MRamtsoele) February 23, 2020
Sunday dues paid in full at Slave Route Challenge 10km #RunningWithTumiSole pic.twitter.com/ExaueTirWN— Setlogolo sa BabinaKwena (@GeorgeJSekonya) February 23, 2020
Look at what taking just 1 week break did for me, increased my running distance from a 5km to such an easy 7km ??. I think I’ll be ready for a 21km by Easter. Thank ?@tumisole? for reviving the runner in me ????. Afternoon shift clocking out. #RunningWithTumiSole pic.twitter.com/lnJvhebLFQ