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<\/a>The Mandela Day Marathon MTB Dash takes place in the beautiful KwaZulu-Natal Midlands on Saturday 27 August 2016. Photo: Mylene Paynter<\/span><\/p>\nThe Mayor of uMgungundlovu District, Yusuf Bhamjee, said in his speech at the Mandela Day Marathon Media Launch that the theme for this year\u2019s event is: \u201cIt is always impossible until it is done, the triumph of the human spirit\u201d, which is the epitome of Nelson Mandela, who was a universal icon of freedom.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe reach out to the people who want to associate themselves with the memory and the legacy of the Father of the Nation; this contextualises the importance of the Mandela Day Marathon Sports Festival,\u201d said Councillor Bhamjee.<\/p>\n
\u201cMadiba belongs to all of us as the Father of the Nation. We must never allow generations after us to forget who Madiba was. Participants will be running, cycling and living for Madiba so that his legacy lives on. We are celebrating an international icon who has been embraced nationally and internationally because he had a story to tell, and that story is the \u201ctriumph of the human spirit\u201d.\u201d<\/p>\n
President of KZN Cycling, Greg Stedman, embraced the opportunity to once again see the Mandela Day Marathon MTB Dash on the Mandela Day Marathon sporting festival\u2019s calendar for the third consecutive year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are very privileged to be a part of this sports event,\u201d he said. \u201cOver the past three years, the Mandela Day Marathon MTB Dash has grown from strength to strength and has become a \u201cmust do\u201d event on the KZN Cycling Calendar,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Stedman also spoke about KZN Cycling\u2019s dedication to transformation and development, and listed their involvement with various projects around the province. \u201cThese projects introduce the youth to the sport of cycling, as well as create opportunities for up and coming talent to compete at Provincial and National level,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
The 2015 Mandela Day Marathon MTB Dash gave more than 150 local youth the opportunity to learn to ride and participate in the event. \u201cThis year will follow a similar theme involving the local youth,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Stedman also mentioned that most of the country\u2019s top-end Elite and high-performance athletes would have returned from their racing commitments in Europe by the end of August and would have the opportunity to participate. \u201cThese athletes attract a lot of media attendance, and make for great racing across their various categories,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhether you are competing for the win or for personal achievement goals, this event embodies the essence of Nelson Mandela, and provides the platform to embrace the Triumph of the Human Spirit,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n
Online pre-entries for the Mandela Day Marathon MTB Dash are open, and close on Wednesday 24 August. Late entries will be accepted at registration, which is at Olympia Hall, Royal Showgrounds, Pietermaritzburg from 11:00-17:00 on Friday 26 August, and at the Nelson Mandela Capture Site from 06:00-07:30 on race day, Saturday 27 August.<\/p>\n
For information on the 2016 Mandela Day Marathon MTB Dash, visit the official website \u2013 http:\/\/www.mandelamarathon.co.za\/<\/a>
For more information on KZN MTB Commission, visit \u2013 http:\/\/www.kznmtb.co.za\/<\/a><\/p>\n