~ Follow these charity fundraisers as they take on one of the world’s most gruelling challenges ~
Johannesburg, South Africa (May 2013) – mapIT, in partnership with Altech Netstar, is proud to be backing the third Unogwaja Challenge in support of charity by supplying an interactive map that will follow the athletes. The twelve team members, who will be tracked live throughout the journey, will set off on the morning of the 23 May 2013 at 04:00 am and embark on a 1 749km cycle from Cape Town to Durban over ten days. They will arrive in Durban on the 1 June to compete the next day in The Comrades Marathon with the ambition to finish one of the world’s toughest races in under 12 hours – and all in the name of charity.
mapIT has provided The Unogwaja Challenge with one of their popular interactive maps that illustrates the route the contestants will follow. The map will also monitor each cyclist’s total distance travelled per day and most importantly the live tracking services of each individual. “Each member will have a device, provided by Altech Netstar, and this information is fed to the public through the mapIT interface,” said Carey Dodd, Marketing Manager of mapIT. “This will enable supporters to keep up with the action on the road,” added Dodd.
Lourens van Zyl (back), Paul Blake, John McInroy, WP van Zyl (front)
“We are very grateful for the support of so many people who make this journey possible. The cycle and run is only a part of this incredible story about the feat of a man back in 1933. It is also the legacy of his heart that has reached and touched so many people which remains in our hearts. Thank you to mapIT for allowing people to literally be with us every pedal and step of the way – giving us the extra support to keep going!” said John McInroy, organiser of the Unogwaja Challenge.
To monitor the progress of the contestants, visit http://unogwajachallenge.mapit.co.za
The Unogwaja Challenge’s heritage dates back to 1931 when Phil Masterton-Smith known by the local Zulu community as Ungowaja, “The Hare”, became the youngest ever Comrades winner at the age of 19 – a record that still stands today. In 1933, unable to afford the train fare to Pietermaritzburg, Phil opted to cycle 1 700kms from Cape Town and still managed to finish the marathon in 10th place.
“We are delighted to be providing live tracking for this year’s challenge in partnership with mapIT. We hope that supporters and sponsors will enjoy being able to closely monitor each “Hare’s” progress online, and we’re proud to be part of the team supporting this amazing journey,” said Shona Minards the PR & Communications Manager of Altech Netstar.
This will be the third year of The Unogwaja Challenge which raises money for various charities. For more information or to donate please visit http://www.unogwajachallenge.com/
About mapIT
mapIT, powered by TomTom Africa, offers businesses high quality digital maps with accurate and extensive coverage of Sub-Saharan Africa and across the globe. Furthermore they offer this map data on the world’s foremost Location Based Services (LBS) platform, mapIT are an all-encompassing digital mapping company. Working together with TomTom Africa, Times Media Group and Partners, mapIT establishes innovative and comprehensive suites of digital mapping platforms to position itself as the leading international enabler of accurate location-based platforms throughout Sub-Saharan Africa.
For more information visit http://www.mapit.co.za