Adele says hello from the Nedbank side
Following the news that Murray and Roberts had taken a decision to end the sponsorship of their running club in June, the yellow and black army's best ultra marathon performer in 2022 has changed clubs. The first South African and third place finisher at last year's Comrades Marathon Adele Broodryk has joined the country's leading ultra-marathon running club - Nedbank.
Speaking to #TheTopRunner when the Murray and Roberts' sponsorship withdrawal news broke a few weeks ago, Broodryk spoke candidly saying she would not be able to stay at a club that was no longer in the financial position to cover her travel and accommodation because she has a full calendar of races around the country that she is intending to run in the buildup to The Ultimate Human Race.
"The heart of Murray and Roberts running club was always to be a family among athletes so when I approached them to join the club in 2021, they welcomed me with open arms. They gave their support through the good, the bad and the ugly, to always give my best. Its just another unfortunate circumstance for us as runners. Its quite sad that Murray & Roberts as the company are battling financially and they are forced to pull off their sponsorship in running. The honest truth is that I won't be able to finance myself especially preparing for the Comrades race. I can't manage all the costs on my own."
The result is that the 31-year-old North West University has now signed on the dotted line and will be part of a strong Nedbank Running Club that already includes Galaletsang Mekgoe who finished fifth during last year's 90km run from Pietermaritzburg and Durban while the men's team is led by 2019 Comrades winner Edward Mothibi and the race's defending champion Tete Dijana. The woman who also won the 2022 Om Die Dam 50km and finished second at the North West N12 Ultra 50km says she's looking forward to being part of one of the most revered clubs in the land.
"I am excited to join the green dream team and just like the saying it takes a village to raise a child this is how I feel about reaching my goal. Even though running is an individual sport, you still need a team for their support and with the Nedbank Running club along with their various sponsors, producing multiple Comrades winners over the years, they definitely have a winning recipe and a support structure set in place."
Nedbank Running Club National Manager Nick Bester has confirmed the news."I was following the progress and performances of Adele for a couple of months and immediately saw that she is a winner and especially got the mentality and body composition of a Comrades Champion. We are investing in Elite athletes with the idea of helping them and supporting them with everything they need to achieve the maximum success to what they are capable of," he said.
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