When Stu Rayner first tackled multiple marathons in honour of his late cousin Rosa, through the Run for Rosa initiative, something incredible happened. The loss was turned into a legacy. A legacy that supported a young man’s journey through school (he’s now deputy head boy), a legacy that’s inspired people to turn pain into power and a legacy that’s just raised significant funds for the South African Depression and Anxiety Group.
South Africa (29 October 2024) — It takes spectacular determination to complete 11 marathons in 11 days, but that’s exactly what Stuart Rayner did earlier this year with his 2024 ‘Run for Rosa’ initiative—an initiative that continues to inspire South Africans to remember that while there is so much we can’t control, what we can, should be positive.
Run for Rosa began as a way to build a legacy for Rosa Carlyle Mitchell—Stu’s late cousin who tragically passed away on her 21st birthday in 2017.
Stu wanted to do something. Something to heal. Something to signify solidarity with her family and everyone who loved her, and something to make a difference in her honour.
Ambitiously, he decided to run 10 marathons in 13 days. Not only did it mark the beginning of the Run for Rosa initiative, it also changed the life of one Melusi Mahlaba by sponsoring his education at Kings School in Nottingham Road.
Today, Melusi has been elected as the deputy head boy of his school, while Run for Rosa sought a new way to make a difference by dedicating the 2024 marathons to the South African Anxiety and Depression Group.
For Stu, who has battled with obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety on top of the grief of losing Rosa, the plight of mental health support in South Africa is one close to his heart.
His hope was not just to raise funds for the SADAG (which the 2024 Run for Rosa did to the tune of R80,000) but also to inspire people to tackle their mental battles with physical ones.
“Running has been my sanctuary,” says Stu. “Through this challenge, I hope to have encouraged others to find their inner strength and to see exercise as a path to mental and emotional well-being.”
Stu completed the run in July of this year, right on time for Rosa’s birthday. It began in Plettenberg Bay on his birthday (16 July) and ended on 28 July in Cape Town at the very hotel where Rosa lost her life.
The SADAG couldn’t have been more appreciative of the support.
“We are incredibly grateful to the Run for Rosa Foundation for their efforts. Stu’s dedication and the community’s support are invaluable in raising both funds and awareness for mental health issues. Initiatives like these are vital in promoting mental wellness and providing much-needed resources,” says Cassey Chambers, the Operations Director of the SADAG.
But words can only capture so much of an effort in this big and impactful initiative. As such, Stu and the team have put together a short film “The Marathon Continues” that takes viewers not only through the run, but all the emotions of strength, love, loss, overcoming and enduring that are behind a mission like this.
The film is set to launch today, so keep an eye on the Run for Rosa Foundation’s socials to catch it!
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