The annual TuksRace has announced that Sappi, a global pulp and paper group, will take over as title sponsor of a favoured event in the South African athletics calendar.
Hosted by the University of Pretoria (UP), TuksSport, and TuksAthletics, the Sappi TuksRace road running race is set to take place on Saturday, 15 February, starting and finishing at the UP Hillcrest Sporting Complex in Hatfield.
The race offers four distances: a half marathon (21 km), a 10 km race, and a 5 km and a 1 km fun run, ideal for beginners and families. Renowned for its vibrant atmosphere, the event attracts a strong contingent of Pretoria-based students and residents, and runners training for the Comrades Marathon.
As a company focused on health through its ‘MoveMore’ employee wellness campaign, Sappi is also no stranger to sporting events with its longstanding support of mountain bike and trail running races that wind through its timber plantations in Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal. The company felt that it would like to have a presence in Pretoria, home to the Sappi Technology Centre, which will also be the location of the 18 km water point on the half marathon route.
Commenting on the partnership, Sappi Limited CEO Steve Binnie said, “Sappi has an enduring academic and research relationship with UP that creates a space for students and young researchers to help advance a low-carbon bioeconomy.”
“Our relationship with the University extends to scholarships and collaboration in forestry and engineering disciplines. At Sappi’s Innovation Hub, our scientists work closely with the University and CSIR, and many of our engineering scholarship holders study at UP,” Binnie added.
Sappi will also sponsor the TuksSport Night Race, scheduled for September on the University campus.
TuksSport director Steven Ball shared his enthusiasm for the partnership. “As TuksSport and the University of Pretoria, we are thrilled to welcome Sappi as the naming sponsor of our annual TuksRace and Night Race. We believe that a healthy body leads to a healthy mind, promoting clarity in a world filled with distractions. Encouraging students, staff, and the broader community to embrace healthy living and fitness supports individual well-being and contributes to a more prosperous society.”
The sponsorship agreement for the Sappi TuksRace will run from 2025 to 2029.
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Author: SAMANTHA CHOLES from FROG COMMUNICATIONS on behalf of Sappi.
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