Experience inner city Urban Run upgrades
[caption id="attachment_41076" align="alignright" width="405"] ON THE RUN: Thanusha Naidoo of Westering scales Fort Frederick in a previous Urban Run event[/caption]
THE Mandela Bay Development Agency (MBDA), which hosts the Nelson Mandela Bay Urban Run, will once again show off some of the latest inner city upgrades in what is expected to be the biggest obstacle course event yet held in the Bay.
Having been part of the Urban Run since its inception, the MBDA says it is excited by the growth and potential of the event, which brings more and more Nelson Mandela Bay residents and visitors back into the inner city, changing perceptions and encouraging social integration.
MBDA spokesman Luvuyo Bangazi,revealing some of the new upgrades and artworks along the route, said: "Participants can look forward to a number of firsts this year, and this includes a run through the new arts and heritage hub, and the Athenaeum building, recently upgraded at a cost of R4-million."
Not far from the Athenaeum, the participants can expect to be wowed by the recently upgraded Trinder Square, a park of flowers.
Trinder Square was originally a natural pond used to water cattle and horses in the 1800s.
It has some unique and interesting features such as the mosaic tiles that recapture the history and heritage of the area.
That is not all the MBDA has in store for unveiling, as part of the Route 67 heritage route, which celebrates Nelson Mandela's 67 years in the struggle for freedom, the MBDA had commissioned artworks that commemorate the Rivonia trail.
Participants will experience this when going past life-sized statues of three Rivonia trialists – Govan Mbeki, Vuyisile Mini and a first in Nelson Mandela Bay, a statue of Nelson Mandela.
The three will be on display outside the City Hall from July 18, commemorating international Nelson Mandela day.
"As the initiators, developers and promoters of tourism real estate in Nelson Mandela Bay, we see the Urban Run as a strategic instrument to promote the inner city as a place to live, work and play," Bangazi said.
