Longtom Marathon: Please Help Me Support the KLM Foundation

So after being here in South Africa for nearly a year, it seems that I may have gone a bit crazy. I have decided that a good way to spend some of my time over the next two months will be to train to run a 56km ultra-marathon at the end of March.

The ultra I'll be running is the Longtom Marathon, which is set for March 27. It starts in the small tourist town of Sabie in Mpumalanga Province, not too far from Kruger Park. From Sabie, which is 1000m above sea level, the course winds its way up Longtom Pass, topping out at 2150m, before going back down to the town of Lydenburg. With an 1150m elevation gain over the first 35km, it's become known as the 'Everest' of ultra-marathons. Many Peace Corps volunteers will be taking part, probably over 70 of us, so it's going to be a lot of fun to get together with them for the weekend and run up and over the beautiful Drakensberg escarpment.

In addition to having a good time though, the main reason for taking part is to support the KLM foundation. Their website is: www.klm-foundation.org; please check it out. I won't go into all the details of what they do since you can read that on the site, but I'll just say that the organization was founded by two PCVs (Peace Corps volunteers) who served here in South Africa a few years ago. They decided to use the Longtom marathon as a fundraiser; they fund a worthy, needy child to attend an excellent independent high school in Mpumalanga called Uplands College. That's why I am so excited about helping them to raise funds; what better way to help this country than to educate a future leader? And the child they choose is very carefully selected, going through a four-tier application process. The seven children who have been chosen so far are excelling in all respects. I hope after reading about KLM you will find yourself as supportive as I am of their work.

While I've been involved in many projects here as a Volunteer in South Africa, this is one I'm particularly excited about, and one for which I am asking your support. My goal is to get a gold medal (in fundraising, that is, for the run I'll be going slow and steady!), and your donation will help me reach that goal. Please give what you can; any amount is appreciated. Even if you can only give $10 or $20, it is much needed. (Of course, larger donations will be accepted and appreciated!) And it is tax-deductible. So please go to the KLM website to make a donation. Just click on the 'donate' photo. Make sure to put my name in the white box where it asks for the Longtom runner you want to sponsor.

The online donation is preferable, but if you need to mail in a check, please make it payable to "Kgwale Le Mollo (US)" and send it to:

KLM Foundation (US)
c/o Bowen Hsu
461 So. Bonita Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91107

Please make sure to include a note that your donation is on my behalf.

Thanks so much for your support, and especially for supporting the child who is chosen next year to attend Uplands College!