Lexis Nexis
LexisNexis South Africa is honoured headline sponsor of this year’s Trek4Mandela Thuli Madonsela Women’s Day Executive Climb.
More about Lee-Ann King
Lee-Ann King is National Deployment Manager at LexisNexis South Africa. She was born in King William’s Town but currently lives in East London. As a mother of three girls, this cause resonates deeply with her. She says she understands the challenges girls face regarding self-esteem, let alone the added struggle of having no access to basic sanitary wear.
King also hopes to show that striving towards goals is an important life lesson that you can take into any environment. Fitness has been an important part of her life for 12 years and through running she finds a way to balance life as a business woman and mother. She has been preparing in the gym and on the roads, while also taking the time to summit the peaks of Winterberg.
Restoring Dignity for Young Girls
Lee-Ann King, National Deployment Manager at LexisNexis South Africa, sees her Trek4Mandela participation as an opportunity to restore dignity in young South African women.
Raising 3 daughters with 3 completely different personalities in a fast-changing social world has been both challenging and exciting. My dream for my girls is to believe in themselves and make the most of the talents they have been blessed with.
We have always encouraged our children to live an active life and the only way to do that is to be the example ourselves. It is so easy to be caught up in the appearances versus reality of social media, which is a big concern for me when girls judge themselves by others’ opinions and don’t have confidence and self-belief. So I can appreciate that girls having to deal with the emotional and hygienic side of their monthly cycle without access to sanitary towels has a further effect on their dignity in an already challenging social world.
When I first heard about Lexis being involved in this initiative, I was so keen to be involved, both for the cause and for the opportunity to tackle and succeed on another personal challenge. It was just the goal I was looking for.When the announcement was made that I was selected to participate, I was so excited that I would actually be taking part in such an adventure together with a very special colleague. My family were also so excited for me as they had assisted with my application and were supporting me all the way.
Individuals can support King by sending an SMS with the name “LEEANNKING” to 42513 to make a pledge of R30.
Preparing for the big mountain
Lee-Ann King, National Deployment Manager at LexisNexis South Africa, tells us how she’s been preparing in the gym and on the roads ahead of the Thuli Madonsela Executive Climb up Kilimanjaro.
I do have a relatively good base fitness as I do run some weeks more than others, but since my selection for the Trek my training has picked up. With such an awesome goal, getting out of bed earlier for the morning runs has been a lot easier! Over the Easter weekend we went to Tarkastad which is close to the Winterberg mountain range and I was able to do some altitude training. On the Saturday we did a hike up to the highest point of the Winterberg with some of the local farmers. One of the ladies in the group had done Kilimanjaro a few years back and used this route for her training. It was really beautiful to be out in nature with special people, I will definitely be back for more hikes up the Winterberg.
Individuals can support King by sending an SMS with the name “LEEANNKING” to 42513 to make a pledge of R30.
Tackling local hills and cliffs
I have been fitting in the training around the family’s events and activities.
On May the 4th my husband was participating in a 3-day cycle race that ended in Morgan Bay in the Eastern Cape. Taking full advantage of the many cliffs and hills in Morgan Bay my friend and I walked around the village for 15km, intent on finding every hill we could. The next weekend my daughter had a training camp in Port Elizabeth. Now PE is very flat, but a friend mentioned Lady Slipper, which is a lovely little mountain just outside PE with a well-maintained hiking trail. I contacted my nephew’s girlfriend who is always looking for an adventure and the two of us had a fun morning climbing Lady Slipper. A friend of mine also has a great hilly trail off the Estate they live in on the Gonubie River, which we hike every opportunity we get. Then there are a few beach runs slipped in with sand dune climbs. On my last trip to Cape Town I planned around the training and flew in on the Sunday to tackle Skeleton Gorge and Nursery Ravine, which is where Mari van Wyk has been doing a lot of her training. Sadly, she was not in town to join me, but special colleagues Karen and Richard - who was in training for his hike in the Andes - braved the miserable weather and joined me. On the Tuesday morning Ewald and Qami very kindly braved a wet, rainy, misty morning to take me a on mountain run/hike, which I turned into more of a hike. It was rather slippery for a run. Recently my husband and I went to Hogsback and hiked up Hog 1. Four hours on the legs, losing paths and doing quite a bit of bundu bashing, ended up being a good morning of training!
Individuals can support King by sending an SMS with the name “LEEANNKING” to 42513 to make a pledge of R30.
