Zuma opens factory

2011-03-30T00:00:00

Health Leader

2011-03-28T00:00:00

5 Minutes with Dr Skhumbozo Ngozwana

Cipla's brave extreme adventurer battles the miles, for smiles

2010-01-07T00:00:00

Currently averaging a distance of 40 km per day, the 49 year old father of four who is a chef and restaurateur by profession is now over 500 km into his estimated 2500 km run of the island after which he plans to paddle and kiteboard his way back across the ocean to Mozambique.

As with his two previous world first runs - the 4200 km Great Wall of China run in 2006 and last year's 3300 km southern African coastline run both under the banner of the Cipla Miles for Smiles Challenge, Grier's undertaken this solo challenge to raise funds for the Cipla Miles for Smiles Foundation which supports non-profit surgical organization Operation Smile SA (OSSA).

"I decided on a multi discipline event as I wanted to involve aspects that would challenge me in a different way," said Grier before leaving. "By including the paddle and kiteboard, I feel this will be my most difficult challenge yet as they are both relatively new sports to me so I am going to have to dig really deep."

Difficult is no understatement. Since setting out Grier has contended with huge storms at sea, heat exhaustion, difficult and inhospitable terrain, bandits, lack of food and homesickness. After the dry, desolate plains of southern Madagascar, during which David and his support team of three (fellow South African Nick Heygate and two local residents) followed the annual zebu cattle migration north for 200 km, David's now reaching the mountainous jungle areas and a whole new set of challenges.

While soaring temperatures the past two weeks necessitated him running at sunrise to try cover as much of his daily run distance as possible before the heat, the jungle brings with it thick impenetrable vegetation, a lot of climbing and dangerous descents in wet monsoon conditions and many miles along roads reduced to muddy rivers. On 3 January his Twitter feed read: "We are about to be wacked by a serious bit of the monsoon rain which has now started, the further up the island we go the more we will be hit." He followed this a day later with: "Just hit my 500km mark today. It's now up into the mountains and centre of the island, wet days ahead."

A unique aspect to David's run is the utilization of a variety of social media platforms so his journey and adventures are unfolding for viewers online almost daily. His blogs, Twitter feeds, Facebook updates and photos can all be accessed via www.milesforsmiles.co.za and donations to make his journey count can also be done via a secure online payment site.

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Cipla's brave extreme adventurer battles the miles, for smiles