Hockey players from Hoërskool Waterkloof in Pretoria hope to set a Guinness World Record by dribbling hockey balls for 500km from Musina to Pretoria.

The team departed from Musina on Monday, 9 January, at 06:30. They will dribble the balls for 50km per day for 10 days until they arrive in Pretoria. They plan to arrive in Pretoria on Wednesday, 18 January. They hope to use the unusual marathon to raise R6 million for the construction of a state-of-the-art hockey field at their school.

One of the organisers of the event, Ms Emelia Janse van Rensburg, says the group consists of 40 players, who are eager to be part of history in the making.

“We are fully prepared for this event and we are definitely going to set up a Guinness World Record. Our escort team, which includes traffic officers and a medical team, is also ready for the challenge. The idea is to get companies to sponsor us per kilometre.”

Janse van Rensburg says people can also support the initiative financially by SMSing the word HOCKEY to 48822. “The SMS costs R10 and our initiative gets R9 from each message. We therefore request people to send SMSes in large numbers.”

Janse van Rensburg says they are also working with Kits4Kids, an organisation which collects old sporting equipment for underprivileged children and she requests people to donate their sporting equipment that is not being used.

On behalf of the Musina Municipality, Cllr James Kaunda wished the players a safe journey.

“As the starting point of the historic marathon, Musina Municipality is proud to be part of this occasion. We have no doubt that the players will arrive safely in Pretoria and set up a world record that will also put Musina on the map. We also hope that they will also raise enough funds for their intended project.”

The newspaper caught up with the players on Tuesday morning when they dribbled into Louis Trichardt, an hour ahead of schedule. Janse van Rensburg said the children's enthusiasm was the reason why they were making such good time.

"The mountain was nothing for them. By the time they reached the summit, the children looked even fresher than before they started," Janse van Rensburg said. The heat, however, took some getting used to.

By the time of going to press, the team was pushing to reach Polokwane by Wednesday. They are scheduled to reach Mokopane by Friday (13th) and Mookgophong by Saturday (14th) and pass through Bela-Bela on Monday (16th).

People interested in getting to know more about the record attempt or who would like to make a contribution can phone Janse van Rensburg at Tel 082 850 2271.