The act of giving used to be interwoven with the act of losing and acts of grieving. It was Bob Geldof’s Band Aid initiative in the mid-1980s that first got people around to understanding that the haves could party in the name of the have-nots.
Nowadays, you can take drugs and buy a concert ticket; you can be a hedonist and still show you care.
Well, eight years ago a different concept was born when somebody decided to combine the model of the school fundraising marathon with the Band Aid initiative. Sport Relief was born. Next week, you can take performance-enhancing medication (if you can get your hands on it) and you can race to the finishing line with celebrities while you pledge to feed a starving baby.
Sport Relief started in the United Kingdom eight years ago and more than 400 000 people took part in the most recent event. It was widely reported that, in aid of the initiative, comedian Eddie Izzard ran 1770km across the UK last year. The press called it “an amazing feat for a 47-year-old transvestite comedian with four weeks’ running experience”.
This year Sport Relief Mile lands in South Africa, which means you can join locals for a trot in Cape Town on March 21, the same day that the event takes place in the UK.
For television viewers, the bonus is that BBC Entertainment (channel 120 on DStv) has teamed up with Sport Relief to broadcast a programme of comedy and highlights from the marathon event that night. From 7.30pm the UK’s top comedians will do a few classic sketches and new material in aid of Sport Relief.
Gavin and Stacey’s James Corden teams up with Jenson Button and a host of top-flight British sporting heroes; there’s an exclusive sketch by the cast of Outnumbered; and special editions of Strictly Come Dancing will feature some bigwigs. There will also be an appearance by the Top Gear team.
Former England and Newcastle United football captain Alan Shearer and double Olympic gold medallist Dame Kelly Holmes will introduce footage from the UK event and the Cape Town Mile.
Watch BBC Entertainment on March 21 at 7.30pm. Entry forms are available at various sport stores, Cape Town Tourism offices and all Cape-based Sportsmans Warehouse stores