9. Cinderella Man – Peter Moses, Former gang member, runner, 39

Peter Moses comes from an area where it’s seen as normal for young people to slip into a life of crime. The courage he had to talk candidly about his former life, and the new challenges he faced as a runner (‘Cinderella Man’, RW April 2016), changed our lives here at RW.

Moses’ story has the power to grab a child from the Cape Flats by the shoulders, shake him or her wildly, and shout, ‘Even if you find yourself in a dark place, you can get out of it – provided you make the right choices!’

When he left gang life behind, Moses’ life spiralled into poverty, and he faced opposition from a community that knows no other way of living. Changing the course of his life was an uphill struggle, but his two boys stood out as a reason to keep trying.

“Since he’s taken up running, Peter has become a positive role model for his kids,” says close friend Sue-Ann Fourie. “His mother – who wasn’t around for much of his childhood, and blames herself for his descent into gangsterism – oozes with love and pride.”

Moses is addressing the problem of gangs in his community. When he ran the 100km at the Cape Town Festival of Running (and came second!), he raised R4 000 for the JAG Foundation, an organisation that introduces disadvantaged youths to sport. He now has a coaching qualification through Western Province Athletics, which means he can offer his services to schools.

Moses has a new job at the Cape Town Running Company, making route markers for the Ultra-Trail Cape Town. At the Petzl Wolfpack Trails, he’s affectionately known as the lanterne rouge, because he wears a red light and sweeps the 5km race.

“He inspires those of us who could be termed ‘privileged’,” says Fourie. “Each time we’re having a bad day – when we complain we’re slow or fat – we’re reminded of Peter, who doesn’t have kit or even proper nutrition. Everything he has is scraped together from donations.

“And yet he always has a fat grin on his face. It’s impossible to walk through an event venue with Peter without having to stop constantly, because everybody greets him. He’s got to be inspiring people!”

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