Local legendary marathon runner Bethuel Netshifhefhe says he is on the verge of starting a local athletics team in the Thohoyandou area. His biggest problem right now, he says, is the lack of sponsorships.
The former Land of Legend Marathon winner says it seems that local businesses all over the country, and in the Vhembe District in particular, are sponsoring every other sporting code, such as soccer, rugby, netball, and tennis, except athletics and boxing.
"We have a lot of talented athletes in this area, but because of a lack of sponsorships, they end up disappearing into thin air. I have seen many kids running barefoot down the road, but the businesspeople here are too busy organising soccer tournaments week in and week out to notice them. They are not interested in investing in athletics and boxing. The trainers of these two sporting codes are struggling to produce and develop talented youngsters because there are no proper training facilities available."
He says that, because he is now based in Polokwane, getting a trainer to look after the athletes in Thohoyandou is difficult as he does not have the money to pay such a trainer. "In a month or two, I will have to use my own money to buy training tracksuits and tekkies for the few runners I have at the moment. I have to make plans and train someone who is locally based to train the athletes in my absence. But I will be coming home every week to check on the athletes," he says.
Netshifhefhe won the masters section in the Fortress Running Series that was held in Thohoyandou recently. He says the race was very fast, even in the masters division. "I clocked at 38:20 in the 10km race. This means that there are masters who still run very fast, but I am always a champion and, even at my age, I compete to win," he says.
Anyone who may be interested in working with Netshifhefhe can contact him directly on 081 362 7262.