At last! Sport Hero Desiree Ellis arrives at the end of her 10km part of the day's walk.

At last! Sport Hero Desiree Ellis arrives at the end of her 10km part of the day's walk.

It was a very full day for the Sport Heroes, with moments of thinking time (that’s while they were running from Pretoria, passing Bela-Bela and moving on towards Thabazimbi) and then an action packed afternoon as they tackled the mammoth task of teaching almost 1000 kids who turned up for the coacing clinics the finer arts of football, running and cricket.

The Sport Heroes Walk coaching clinics are chaotic yet fun-filled parts of the Walk. Imagine a football field filled with screaming kids of all ages, running around catching (or missing) balls, tossing and booting them around, doing physical exercises and generally just fooling around while laughing and smiling, and you have the picture of a Sport Heroes Walk coaching clinic. The eagerness to learn and enjoy themselves was evident, and judging by the smiles and giggles of the Sport Heroes, they were having quite a bit of fun themselves today.

It’s fair to say that due to the large number of kids, all hands were on deck as both Sport Heroes and SRSA support teams pitched in to help make the clinic a success. A few of the less fit ones are probably going to wake up with sore muscles tomorrow morning!

I now have my very own ball... this girl was the first to receive a ball during the coaching clinic.

I now have my very own ball... this girl was the first to receive a ball during the coaching clinic.

The akward moment came when SRSA had to distribute the 200 soccer balls they brought with to distribute to kids taking part in the clinic. This number was far too few to guarantee everyone gets a ball, so handing them out was a boisterous affair, but by the time everyone left Mandela Village, kids could be seen kicking their new footballs around in the dusty township streets, so in that sense, it had a positive impact.

Earlier in the day Bela-Bela’s mayor had welcomed the Heroes on their arrival at the town’s municipal hall. During the welcoming she said that the municipality was winning in the campaign against HIV/AIDS as infection rates were down and that HIV awareness campaigns were starting to show dividends. Good news indeed, perhaps the Heroes Walk adds momentum to this trend.

Condomise! Kanyane from SRSA handing out condoms to spectators during the Heroes entrance parade into Bela-Bela.

Condomise! Kanyane from SRSA handing out condoms to spectators during the Heroes entrance parade into Bela-Bela.

Tomorrow morning the Heroes pick up the route 60km on the other side of Bela-Bela toward Thabazimbi. They start at seven o-clock, will pass Thabazimbi, and move on in the direction of Lephalale. (They try to gain a bit of extra distance every day to prevent falling behind). The day’s activities, which normally start around eleven o’clock, will take place in Thabazimbi.