Popular TV personality and singer Charlene Truter of Pasella will be adding some glamour to this year’s Outeniqua Wheelchair Challenge (OCC) in George on 16 February 2008.
Truter will joint World Cup rugby hero Os du Randt and Hilton Langenhoven, a member of the preliminary Paralympic squad, as the three push a young disabled child in a buggy in the fun event.
The OCC, presented by Vodacom and Parmalat SA, has already attracted a record number of international athletes in the hand cycle division – two from Spain, one from Italy and one from the Netherlands.
They will do the 42,2 km marathon as the first leg of a 499km "Tour de Kaap" for hand cycling athletes, organised by one of the regular OCC competitors, Hilary Lewis, for the first time this year.
"They are among the best racers in the world with excellent times, and we are very excited that they are starting their racing in South Africa with us," said award-winning event director, Esther Watson.
A number of elite athletes have also signed up for the racing wheelchair division. "Because many athletes are attending training camps for their national teams ahead of the Paralympics, we have not had as many entries from the international circuit as we would have liked, particularly from female competitors, but we are happy that we have a world class field in keeping with the ever-growing status of this event," Watson said.
"Equally important is our objective to increase the number of participating schools for children with physical disabilities and to develop road races for wheelchairs in South Africa," Watson continued. "So far, four new schools have entered in this years’ race which is important because we need to identify and develop upcoming athletes.
"We would like to encourage schools to identify new talent, develop and train promising girls and boys and send them down to George to race in the OCC to gain experience and most of all, enjoy all it has to offer."
Paraplegics, quadriplegics and people with cerebral palsy have until 30 January to enter and compete for cash prizes totalling R229 800 in the 42,2 km marathon, the 21,1km half-marathon, the 10 km independent distance and the fun event.
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