Comrades Marathon – behind-the-scenes look at the festive #NedbankGreenMile
This year’s Mardi Gras-themed #NedbankGreenMile was a spectacular 8-hour live entertainment showcase that included over 350 local entertainers, all carefully selected within the KZN catchment area to support local NGO’s, SMME’s, and their charities, and then acutely orchestrated to keep the action alive across four zones that made up the mile.
The 10 roving, larger-than-life body-supported puppets were a major hit and supplied by an NGO. The 20 green morphsuits and super-heroes, and the 10 beautifully made-up carnival-dressed girls, who kept all 17 000 runners laughing and entertained throughout the 8 hours, were all students sourced from local universities’ 3rd year drama departments, who earned their keep on the day.
Well-known sport-expert MC’s like Max Cluer, Doug Bird, David Yapp, Mike Vermeulen and MJ Biyela validated and encouraged runners throughout the day. Nedbank sourced the best in industry and set up a mentorship programme for two of the aspiring MC’s with two of the best MC’s in the sporting industry.
Durban Girls High Drum Majorettes, who never missed a step, and whose fee Nedbank donated to the school’s sports, arts & culture department, worked hand-in-hand with the popular Scottish Pipes, who are Durban’s Medical Battalion Bag Pipe Band, and the SA Army Brass Marching Band, to entertain spectators and runners up and down the mile.
The well-toned and tanned lifeguards were sourced from the Durban Lifesaving Club, with Nedbank donating their fee to the club. The tennis umpire chairs they sat on, shouting encouragement to the runners, were sourced from the Pietermaritzburg Tennis Academy.
The Dangerous Curves, aka The Sharkettes, are professional dancers who added a touch of skilled-glamour to the mile. These dancers were sourced from Durban and Pietermaritzburg, and they never stopped chanting and dancing for 8 hours to help lift runners’ spirits.
Music was heard throughout the #NedbankGreenMile’s four zones keeping it exciting and fun for a solid 8 hours. Nedbank sourced only local musicians and bands such as the Catlike Thieves, Afritude and Parable Fifteen.
These entertainers played live across the three stages, switching time slots with the musical Marimba Band from Durban’s St Nicholas High School, whose fee Nedbank also donated to the school’s sports, arts & culture department; the NGO Field Band Foundation, whose fee went to their development arts & culture programme; and the amazing Steel Drum Band from Bryan Percussion Enterprise – an Arts Development programme based in Durban.
The activity-filled, child zone was as busy as the road with face painting, balloon blowing and animal petting plus many other fun activities for hundreds of children. This zone was managed by a local NGO’s social development programme and a rehabilitation animal sanctuary and run by school teachers on the day.
The Big Screen TV that kept thousands of people informed of every single step and stage of the Comrades was sourced from a local, family-run SMME, along with 2 of the 3 music stages.
The #NedbankGreenMile supports two charities every year: the Starfish Foundation and the Sport Trust. The Starfish Foundation provides support to children orphaned or vulnerable in South Africa by working in partnership with community-based organisations. Dressed in their bright orange T-shirts, over 100 kids cheered on the runners for a solid 8 hours, loving every second.
The Sports Trust holds NGO/PBO status and acts as an implementation partner for sports development, benefitting schools, communities and individuals from the previously disadvantaged sector through the building of sports facilities, the supply of sports equipment and kit, and providing effective delivery of sustainable sports development and national programmes. The trust brought 60 children to the mile.
The food-filling, thirst-quenching food and drink stalls were abundant on the day, feeding hundreds of spectators and staff. Special mentions go to the Camperdown Methodist Church (NGO) and Good Enuf2Eat (NGO). The real heroes were the food stalls that donated a percentage of their profits to the charities, including the Chinese food stall, pancake stall, Gemelli Pizza Cones, Caffe Mobile and Archies Mobile Coffee.
Patrick Baransky, Group Sponsorship Manager at Nedbank, said, “Nedbank is extremely thankful to the thousands of runners, supporters, artists and crew that made the #NedbankGreenMile a fitting and proudly South African tribute to the 90th Comrades Marathon; an event that celebrates the spirit of human endurance and camaraderie.”
In addition to the activity and fanfare, the thousands of runners competing in the marathon had the opportunity of running over a very special green surface. The 140-metre green strip, which is made of eco-friendly plastic, greeted runners as they ran under the main Nedbank arch midway through the mile.
The surface not only served as a strip for runners on the day but has now been donated to Ivory Park Primary School in Johannesburg to serve as a multipurpose sports platform. This R1-million facility will also be made available for use by other schools in the surrounding area, promoting sport development in the Ivory Park community.
Baransky said, “The ‘strip’ is packed and on route to Johannesburg to the Ivory Park School, where it will continue its legacy in promoting sports development as a Multipurpose Sports Course, supporting multiple sporting codes such as futsal, 5-1-side soccer, basketball, netball and volleyball!”
On the other side of this spectacular event are over 100 Nedbank crew members who give up their Sunday, and many weekends prior to this, practising to make and create this demonstration of all things good in lifting the human spirit. The #NedbankGreenMile is now a fully-entrenched event to the main event and this year didn’t disappoint.
An important aspect on the day is the Waste Management Programme that ensures Nedbank remained green all the way. With over 150 cardboard bins, 60 cleaners and a solid plastic recycling initiative put in place, nothing was left to endanger the ecological footprint at the end of the day.
“As a bank, we are proud to participate in an event that impacts directly on the local economy, by sourcing local talent; SMMEs and clean-up crews! Durban’s hospitality ignites the vibe on the #NedbankGreenMile!” said Baransky.
The magnificent Comrades Marathon #NedbankGreenMile is an incredible show of human spirit on a day when it really counts, but what this seamlessly achieves in the development of sports, whilst quietly building the communities around it, is the real story.
On race day, the #NedbankGreenMile is a treasure to runners and spectators alike; a place where runners are replenished and then cheered forward by thousands of spectators and entertainers, proving human endurance cannot be merely computed but is built and moulded and then displayed in real time on race day for all others to follow and acknowledge, in their own time. It is this that is tangible at the #NedbankGreenMile.
For runners, the sustenance of Nedbank’s unique green Energade, freshly cut oranges and bananas handed out by friendly green-clad humans is vital, but the #NedbankGreenMile Carnival atmosphere is more than a force propelling runners. It is a natural electric, vibrant and fun technique that is desperately needed with just 24 km to go, as it literally feeds the souls of all who pass through the official Comrades Marathon spectator spot.
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