‘We all have Dreams’ charity challenge |01 September 2022

At the finish line of the third run of the ‘We all have dreams’ challenge

Joel Melanie fully satisfied after completing last solo challenge

• Future charity challenges under ‘Runners of Charity’

From now on all charity challenges initiated by enthusiast runner Joel Melanie will fall under the umbrella of the Runners of Charity, a group he set up to bring more flare to the activity.

After successfully completing his initial challenge, ‘Run for a Good Cause Project’ in 2018 with the aim of raising funds for financially-struggling associations towards infrastructure development or other facilities to provide long-term support for Seychellois families and children as a lone runner, Melanie gathered a group of athletes who accompanied him through his second challenge ‘We all have dreams’.

Despite having created the group, he was still being the main face of the project, but from now on all future charity challenges will become a team work.

Melanie completed his last run in the ‘We all have dreams’ challenge on Sunday to contribute towards honouring his late mother Regina Melanie who did not know how to read and write until in her late 50s when she started to follow literacy programme (progranm alfabetizasyon) and later on taught others how to write in Creole and English and even count, before becoming a pioneer in Seychellois Creole literature.

Sunday’s run began at Stad Popiler before the runners headed towards Persévérance where they turned at the Holy Spirit Parish Church and headed back to town.

From town they ran up via Mont Fleuri, Plaisance, Cascade, Pointe Larue, Anse Aux Pins to complete the 21km challenge at the Au Cap district administration office.

It is worth noting that during the last 10km, Melanie was challenged by his son who pushed him, even if he completed the run in 2 hours 17.45 minutes (2h17:45), bettering his time of 2h19:07 set during the second run. Sunday’s time is not far off his target which is in the range of 2h14:00 to 2h15:00.

Speaking to Sports NATION, Melanie explained that as a solo runner, he felt that he has achieved all his targets, and looking at the bigger picture, to achieve bigger project, going as a group is more effective and will bring greater results.

From the first run of the challenge, the profit was to assist University of Seychelles student Samirah Sally with a prosthetic arm, while the second event was to raise fund for a sculpture to honour former track and field athlete Danny Beauchamp.

As teaser for the fans and sponsors of his challenges, Melanie has announced that there will be a special event in December which will be Christmas-related.

Already baptised ‘Let’s share the spirit of Christmas’ challenge, the event will take place at the Roche Caïman fitness trail, instead of on the road to attract maximum runners, since it will be open for everyone.

Once again, Melanie explained that the aim of the ‘Runners for Charity’ is to encourage sportsmanship beyond competitive sports, create a platform to bring long-distance athletes together and to support projects to make a difference and give back to the community.

He welcomed all athletes from other sporting federations to join them during their events, without having to leave their respective sports.

It is equally worth noting that organisations which benefitted from his initial ‘Run for a Good Cause Project’ project include the Unique Foundation, the Seychelles Stroke Foundation, the Seychelles Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired and the National Association for the Disabled.

Roland Duval