The annual Cableway Charity Challenge – which this year has gone virtual for the first time – aims to raise funding to assist various organisations in the greater Cape Town area. A total of 133 athletes will participate over an eight-day period, ending on April 18.

The virtual event encourages locals to support and sponsor participants to do as many laps as possible up Platteklip Gorge, summiting Table Mountain, and descending from the top using the cable car. To track their progress, participants will be recording their laps on the free-to-use mobile app, Strava.

“While we wait for South Africa to reach herd immunity against COVID 19, the online event revolution has made it possible for participants to connect with each other, and for people to live stream and engage in events,” says MD of the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Company, Wahida Parker.

Since its inception in 2009, the Cableway Charity Challenge has raised more than R6 million (€353 000) for a variety of well-established local NGOs, including Wilderness Search and Rescue, Ons Plek, Home from Home and the Cape Town Environmental Education Trust.

“The camaraderie shown over the past few days has been overwhelming. So far, 432 laps have already been completed and just under R700 000 (€41 000) raised, with the goal of reaching the R1m (€59 000) mark. The support has been incredible and we cannot be more grateful,” says Tracy Le Roux, Treasurer of the JDI Foundation Trust, the official organiser of the race.

For more information, visit https://charitychallenge.co.za/