Meet Our Runners: Mandi Hart – Rachel Swart Fund

Mandi Hart is a loving wife and a mother of two teenagers. She wears many hats: author, speaker, mentor, and you might find her experimenting with new dishes in the kitchen, or traveling the world running parenting and “fearless” workshops. This year, she’s running and ‘raising for the Rachel Swart Fund! With only a few days left to go, she’s already at over ZAR 6,100! Help her reach her ZAR 10,000 goal by checking our her GivenGain page and contributing. And if you’re at the Two Oceans event this weekend, you’ll likely pick her out of the crowd in her signature red tutu!

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We know your name, but tell us a little bit about yourself! We’d love to know anything and everything that says a little something about who you are and what you love.

I wrote a book called Parenting With Courage and have run parenting and fearless workshops in countries ranging from SA to Jordan to Scotland to Mozambique. I have a heart for the nations of the world. I love people and seeing them thrive.

My favourite colour is Red, and I love spontaneous gatherings, events, and travels/adventures. We are a foodie family and are always experimenting with new dishes. One of our greatest joys is to have family and friends from different nations in our home and around the dinner table.

Have you run the Old Mutual Two Oceans Half Marathon before? Other marathons or races? If you’re a veteran, what would you say is the most rewarding part of participating in the event?

I’ve run one OMTOM half before but done a number of other half marathons, such as the Knysna half, the Cape Peninsula marathon, the Landmarks half marathon and others. I love running with people and seeing all the different shapes and sizes that come out to run. I enjoy the camaraderie and feeling like we are part of something more. We all share a common humanity and that brings a smile to my face.

What is your inspiration for running on behalf of the Rachel Swart Fund? Any personal experiences you’d like to share? What about the Rachel Swart Fund or the work we do resonates most with you?

I believe that we have all been put on this planet for a purpose. One of those purposes is to do good and leave the world a better place than we found it – in any small or big way. I find it inspirational to think that just by my small effort, I can help make a difference in a person’s life and that the trajectory of that life can be changed just by receiving a gift that enables them to learn, to grow, to live and be fully alive.

A few years back, my daughter and I were in an armed robbery and the impact of that trauma affected my life for many years. I’ve since then started speaking on radio, and I have written a book (to be released later this year) on how to live without fear. Fear is something that affects every single person and holds humankind back in many ways. My desire is to empower and inspire others to live a fearless life, a full-colour life, a life that is fully alive. In doing so, we can live with greater joy and fulfilment while at the same time sharing that kind of ‘full-colour’ living around us.

That is why I decided to run on behalf of the Rachel Swart Fund. If by me running, training (with joy) and at the same time being able to raise funds for someone else then why not! I want to model a generous lifestyle to my children and ‘walk the talk’. That’s fearless living -sharing and giving of yourself. To be fearless doesn’t mean that we have to do great things. It just means that we do everyday things with love and joy, while including others on the journey of living truly alive and embracing those around us.

Running is a metaphor for life – we have to go through many ups and downs, stops and starts, grow resilience and aim for goals/dreams that seem beyond us. We have to try – and by my trying, just perhaps, I can encourage or inspire someone else then it’s worth it.

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We would like to extend our gratitude to Mandi for her generosity in fundraising for us, her excitement about the upcoming race, and for sharing her personal story. Once again, to donate to her campaign, check out her GivenGain page! Happy Running!

Be sure to follow the Rachel Swart Fund on our various social media accounts, as well! We’ll be posting our #MeetOurRunners series on Facebook, as well as Instagram and Twitter.

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