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16 September 2019 | Story Valentino Ndaba | Photo Charl Devenish
Smoothie Bike challenge
The Smoothie Bike Challenge feeds the body, soul and the mind in support of mental health awareness.
Smoothie lovers at the University of the Free State (UFS) pedalled furiously to create their favourite drink. The Smoothie Bike Challenge was recently introduced to the Bloemfontein Campus community by the Division for Organisational Development and Employee Wellness.

Blending bikes and berries

Kovsies staff members were invited to pop a handful of berries and bananas into a blender attached to a specially adapted bike that uses pedal power to turn the ingredients into a refreshing drink. 

Blending physical exercise and healthy eating is one way to ensure holistic health. The division wanted to raise awareness around mental health and the effects that fitness and healthy food have on the mind. 

Wheelie good fun

“The purpose of this initiative was to involve employees in a fun way to use their bodies to make a healthy drink. Individuals of all fitness levels could participate,” said Burneline Kaars, head of the organisational development and employee wellness division.

A precursor to Mental Health Awareness month

Participants provided the energy to make the smoothie and Employee Wellness provided the ingredients but the initiative also created awareness around mental health. This comes weeks before the country officially enters Mental Health Awareness month.

According to the government: “The month of October has been declared Mental Health Awareness month with the objective of not only educating the public about mental health but to reduce the stigma and discrimination that people with mental illness are often subjected to.”

An estimated 400 million people worldwide suffer from mental or neurological disorders or experience psychosocial problems. Initiatives such as the Smoothie Bike Challenge are some of the ways in which the UFS is attempting to ensure that staff members are taken care of and do not become statistics. In the light of these numbers, it is evident that continuous efforts are necessary to tackle the issue.



News Archive

Kovsie trailblazing track runner sets South African 200 m record
2015-07-16

Photo: IAAF

Wayde van Niekerk became the only South African, and the fourth athlete in the world, to clock sub-20-seconds in a 200 m race on Tuesday 14 July 2015. With this winning time, he became the fourth member of the prestigious quartet, consisting of Michael Johnson, LaShawn Merritt, Isaac Makwala and himself.

The Kovsie gold medallist’s ground-breaking performance saw him beat world-class 200 m specialist and last year's Diamond League race winner, Alonso Edward of Panama.  Van Niekerk crossed the finish line half a metre ahead of Edward, who was followed by Fujmitsu Kenji of Japan in the third place.

Van Niekerk's 19.94-time at the Diamond League meeting in Lucerne (Switzerland) set a national record, and improved on his personal best. In 2010, he claimed the World Junior Championship title in Moncton, Canada, by covering 200 m in 21.02 seconds.

Recently, he made history by defeating the London 2012 Olympic Games champion, Kirani James, of Grenada in the Caribbean.

On 4 July 2015, he surged 0.79 seconds ahead of Kirani in his number five lane, becoming the first African to cover 400m in less than 44 seconds. The Kovsie student won the race at 43.96, occupying 10th place on the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Diamond League all-time list.

Kovsies were still celebrating the gold medalist’s South African record-setting time of 44.24 on 13 June 2015 when he dominated the Diamond League meeting. At the previous race in New York, Van Niekerk improved on his own national record of 44.38. With an impressive dash to the finish line at that particular event, he surpassed Christopher Brown’s 400 m record.

In addition to the country’s record, Van Niekerk made his name as one of the continent’s record-breakers. On 7 June 2015, he broke the 1986 African 300 m record. Van Niekerk replaced Ivorian Gabriel Tiacoh’s best time of 31.74 with a 31.63 championship win at the Birmingham Diamond League meeting.  Simultaneously, he bettered Morné Nagel’s 2006 South African national record.

Following his outstanding performance, he was positioned in 10th place on the world list in the men’s 300 m.

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