Imagine earning money for being fit and physically active. Wouldn't that be amazing? Selepe Phetla, a member of the Johannesburg Church of Christ, southern Africa, got "paid" when he recently completed a 94.7 km (58.8 miles) cycle race and raised funds for HOPE worldwide South Africa's Early Childhood Development programme (ECD).
Selepe completed his third race for Team HOPE Cycle4Change, in just under four hours. He shares about the experience and what motivated him to do so:
"In July 2013 I went for a medical and fitness assessment and was advised to lose some weight for better health. So I started making better food choices and seriously took up physical exercise, mostly cardio training. I managed to drop my weight from around 92 kg (202 lbs) to 72 kg (158 lbs) in a period of 18 months, and I've kept my weight in the recommended range ever since.
In 2017, I kept on hearing announcements at church calling for cyclists to join Team HOPE, but I wasn't a cyclist nor did I even own a bicycle. But as the closing date for entries approached I thought to myself: 'Why can't I join the cycling team, and raise funds for a good cause while keeping fit and healthy?'