'Running Feeds My Soul'

Domestic helper Veronica Mtetwa is living her dream as a long-distance runner.

- Gabisile Ngcobo

IT’S 3.30 am, the sky is dark, the streets are quiet and everyone in the house and the neighborhood is still in dreamland.

Everyone, that is, except Veronica Mtetwa, who laces up her sneakers, zips up her hoodie and hits the road. She runs through the pain to overcome her challenges and beat poverty – one marathon at a time.

The 34-year-old domestic helper from Ballito in KwaZulu-Natal is rewriting the story of her life. In between tending her boss’ house, doing laundry, cooking for the family of four and caring for the kids, she’s living her passion.

Later this year she’ll head overseas to run in the world’s biggest long- distance race: the New York City Marathon.

Running has changed everything, she tells us. “I didn’t know it would take me to places I only dreamt about.”

Although she started running only in 2014 she already has several marathons under her belt, including the Comrades, Mandela Day, Zululand, Soweto and Two Oceans events.

This year she mentioned in passing to her employers, Jody and Peter Cameron, that she’d like to take part in the New York marathon some day – and things started to happen almost instantly.

Jody created a Facebook page for Veronica called Dreaming Of New York and she’s become something of a sensation. She’s received sponsorships for flights and her entry ticket, a sporting kit of her choice and much more. People have also donated more than R45 000 and counting through crowd funding. And Prodigal Khumalo, who finished eighth in this year’s Comrades, has been roped in to give Veronica speed training.

Now it’s all systems go in preparation for the 5 November race.

Veronica, who dropped out of school in Grade 11 after falling pregnant, is usually up at 3 am and on the road by 4 am.