Executives bare it all for cancer
Company bosses are baring their souls - and most of their bodies - to rally support for a campaign to eradicate cancer. The executives are pledging to join the Daredevil run on March 13, when thousands of men will jog 5km through Johannesburg wearing nothing but takkies and Speedos to raise awareness of male cancers.
The Daredevil run was founded by Hollard Insurance company to help its clients live healthier lives, and Hollard CEO Saks Ntombela was the first to dare other CEOs to join Joburg’s ballsiest run.
Now the CEO Dare is spreading through cheeky videos where the executives encourage their counterparts in other companies to pound the pavements with them. Those who are too busy or too shy to participate can wriggle out of it by paying for 10 or more of their colleagues to participate instead.
The challenge was quickly taken up by Nicholas Maweni, chairman of the South African Musical Rights Organisation, who urges men to ‘give prostate cancer the finger,’ in his video.
Others accepting the dare include Prof. Tshilidzi Marwala, vice chancellor of the University of Johannesburg, and Shonisani Makhari, the CEO of Ambani Reputation Management. “The list of CEOs and other high-profile executives who are responding positively is growing,” says Ntombela.
The Daredevil Run has a serious side behind the frivolous near-naked dress code. It raises awareness about prostate and testicular cancers, which needlessly kill many men every year. Both are easily cured if they’re detected early, but few men think of taking the test or even realise the risks.
Men over 40 are most at risk of prostate cancer and can get a free blood test at the Daredevil run.
The event also raises thousands of rands each year for the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA) and the Prostate Cancer Foundation, which conduct research, carry out tests, run awareness campaigns and help patients get treated successfully.
Last year the Daredevil run attracted 3,970 entrants, and Hollard is hoping that this time more than 4,000 men will help to run cancer out of town.
“The Daredevil Run is a lot of fun and it’s a fantastic initiative because it creates a lot of awareness, which is important because men generally don’t talk about health issues. Once they start talking it creates an opportunity to say this is the age you need to start testing from,” says Andrew Oberholzer, CEO of the Prostate Cancer Foundation.
Black men have a sky-high chance of up to one in four of developing prostate cancer from the age of 40. White men over 45 face a risk of one in eight. A simple test to diagnose it is crucial, because once the symptoms begin to show, the treatment is so harsh that the quality of life suffers.
South Africa has one of the world’s highest rates for prostate cancer spreading to other parts of the body because it goes undetected, and by then, the survival rate drops from 98% to only 30%.
Testicular cancer is the other big threat, with a risk rate of one in 250 for white men and one in 1,700 in black men. It’s easily detected by simply checking for abnormal lumps. Men over 18 are asked to donate a minimum of R100 to enter, plus R50 for the Speedos and R10 for a ticket.
For more information, see: Facebook – Daredevil Run; Twitter @Daredevil_Run or buy entry tickets from www.Webtickets.co.za
