The 11 women, who participated in adidas’s Beyond My Impossible campaign, all successfully finished the 42.2km at the Sanlam Cape Town marathon on Sunday. adidas partnered with 11 women who never thought it possible to run 42.2km and helped them train towards this year’s event. 

THE Beyond My Impossible campaign aims to empower and encourage the female community to lean on the sport of running for the purpose of bringing positive change into their lives. Each lady has an inspiring story and a deeply personal reason for wanting to conquer their first marathon.

Get to know Zoë Brown, Ncebakazi, Kay, Leatitia, Shaakirah, Tracey, Yentle, Ashleigh, Melissa, Jana and Lenise through a series of beautifully shot 90-second individual videos, as well as a four-part documentary series detailing the 14-week journey of these courageous women.

The 11 women had been on a 16-week training programme under the watchful eye of Kathleen Shuttleworth, a Cape Town-based running coach who specialises in middle to long-distance training. And even though the end goal is to complete the marathon, there’s been a strong focus on building a sense of community, ensuring that the journey has been both supportive and enjoyable despite the challenge.

What They Said:

Coach Kathleen: “I am still asking myself HOW!? I miss checking in on the ladies, they each in their own unique way climbed deep inside my heart. They might not run at an Olympic pace, but they certainly have Olympic grit. Put these ladies hearts in Kenyans and you will have women running sub 2-hour marathons.”

Kazi Dyani: “The programme has been holistically transformational for me, It has changed my outlook on life and that I can surely achieve anything I set my mind to, firmly believing in adidas slogan Impossible Is Nothing. I still cry about everything we were able to achieve. It has been amazing. I’m even more excited about life.”

Yentle Arendse: ”I feel inspired to do all the things that I have been putting off. This campaign just reignited my passion for pursuing my other life-long dreams. I have the confidence now to take on challenges that I thought were impossible for me to do.”

Jana Steyn: “I am still in shock that I actually managed to complete the marathon. It was honestly one of the hardest things mentally that I’ve ever done and I am just so proud of myself for doing it.”

Here are their results:

Zoe Brown 5:29.07
Lenise Swanson 5:40.42
Ncebakazi Dyani 5:17.45
Leatitia Gradwell 5:33.32
Yentle Arendse 5:08.29
Jana Steyn 6:12.12
Kay Abrahams 4:08.23
Shaaakirah Jaftha 3:58.38
Ashleigh Bredeveldt 6:29.28
Mellissa Abrahams 6:16.10
Tracey Abrahamse 5:18.27

Follow the @adidasZA #BeyondMyImpossible #ImpossibleIsNothing conversation on Instagram

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