Dionella is a strictly Johannesburg girl and proudly states that she always has been and always will be! Her history and entire memories surround her daily and admits that it would be a battle to live anywhere else, especially because her mother passed away nearly 21 years ago from cancer. Dionella holds dear every memory she has with her mother, and a lot of those memories surround her daily in the Johannesburg vicinity.
She started running 8 years ago, and what started off as a friendly joke and discussion on Saturday afternoon amongst her friends soon became a realisation and a big part of Dionella’s every day routine. “A few of us could not even run to the end of the block! We started from scratch, never imagining Comrades one day, not in our wildest imaginations and now I am training for my fifth one!” she added.
What really keeps Dionella going when running is the amazing support she gets on the road and for her it’s really something you can only understand if you’ve run in races and been there before! “My biggest motivation are my two children and husband! Their faces and encouragement along the route is something I could never do without.”
Running and specifically training for The Comrades Marathon has taught her inner strength, how never to give up and how to dig deep! Comrades has been a real motivator for her and she feels that no matter what lays ahead and how when one feels like giving up, to always carry on and believe. You’ll be surprised what you can do and achieve.
Dionella has chosen hospice as her charity of choice because of how much they helped her mother in her final days. Hospice is a very special organisation and its an organisation she feels benefits thousands of people, and so much more can benefit from hospice with a greater understanding of the cause and awareness!
For the past 4 years I have entered Comrades, and each time always having one person on my mind, my mother. Help Dionella reach her target of R20 000 for hospice here!
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