Missing middle students find themselves in a financial grey area - not impoverished enough to qualify for government or trust-based funding but not wealthy enough to afford university fees independently.

Ganswindt is dedicating his run to support the Vice-Chancellor and Principal’s Scholarship Fund, which offers financial assistance to academically gifted students who might otherwise be unable to complete their education due to financial constraints.

“I was very intrigued by the idea of helping the students, especially those in the missing middle...they struggle quite a bit with the financial requirements to then successfully study,” he said. The concept is simple yet impactful. Supporters are encouraged to pledge R90 - equivalent to the 90 kilometres of the marathon’s distance - which will contribute to funding a deserving student. You can pledge here


“This year’s comrades is 89.98 kilometres. We decided to make it R90. That money goes into a fund, which will then be allocated to a respective student of the missing middle, who can then Ganswindt said that this time around, the marathon is more special because he’s doing it for a good cause. “It is an avenue... symbolic of how you approach studies or any other challenge in life. You run it to a certain percentage with your legs, but the vast majority, you run with your head. So, it’s a mental challenge. This particular initiative will provide me personally with that edge because if I were to stop, I would not only let myself down, I would let the other person also down.”

Ganswindt remains steadfast in his commitment to balancing his demanding professional responsibilities, family life, and athletic training. “When you prep for comrades, you have to qualify. I qualified in November last year, which gave me the freedom to focus on the training without having the pressure to still have to qualify, as on the day, there’s always something that can happen. So you’re following a classical training
regime, which means you’re running a number of kilometres per week, per month,” he said.

Donate here