Eddie Andrews (right) is preparing for the Two Oceans Marathon half-marathon while serving as Cape Town’s deputy mayor to raise funds for thousands of school shoes.

• Eddie Andrews is preparing for the Two Oceans Marathon half-marathon while serving as Cape Town’s deputy mayor.
• He runs to support his “Soles4Souls” initiative, raising funds to provide school shoes for children.
• After raising nearly R1 million, he now aims to fund 21 100 pairs of shoes through this year’s race.

Around 20 years ago, Eddie Andrews was lacing up his rugby boots, donning the green-and-gold uniform of the Springboks, and preparing to face the All Blacks.

These days, most of his time is filled with the administrative tasks of being the deputy mayor of Cape Town.

In the evening, though, when he arrives home from work at around 21:00, his running shoes are the ones being knotted up.

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Andrews is currently preparing his body for the half-marathon race at the Two Oceans Marathon on 12 April.

While his running journey, which started 10 years ago, was inspired by wanting to keep fit, Andrews now runs for a greater cause.

He started an initiative called Soles4Souls a few years back, which raises funds for school shoes for children to help them lace up to be educated.

“In 2024, I entered my third cap-time marathon, covering 42.2km and raising funds for 42 200 pairs of school shoes,” Andrews told News24

“We would have thus far raised close to R1 million and we need about R3.65 million to ultimately achieve the goal… That’s what’s driving me, that’s why I keep on running.”

Because the half-marathon is 21.1km, Andrews will be aiming to raise funds for 21 100 pairs of school shoes during the Two Oceans Marathon this year.

“This is an initiative that I started and, of course, we work with other NPO partners who assist with the receiving of the donations and then we procure the shoes on behalf of myself,” Andrews said.

The 49-year-old former tighthead prop, who won 23 caps for the Springboks between 2004 and 2007, in jest called people who run ultramarathons “crazy”, but said he could commit to the 56km trek next year to celebrate reaching a half-century of being alive.

April’s race will be Andrews’ seventh time running the Two Oceans Marathon. What makes the event so special that it sees him coming back year after year?

“You have people from all walks of life, different shapes and sizes, classes and they’re descending upon Cape Town’s road, in this case it would be the M3 highway,” the deputy mayor said.

“[Just] a sea of runners covering the roads and just being with the people literally running our roads, that’s what I love about running in general and even more so because at an event like [Two] Oceans, you have a lot more people signing up to run and there’s more of them to talk to.”

Andrews isn’t the only former Springboks tighthead prop jogging on the roads on the second weekend of April. Marius Hurter, whose international career spanned between 1995 and 1997 will be there too, tackling the ultramarathon distance despite a nasty heart rhythm disorder – atrial fibrillation – seeing him drop out of this year’s Cape Epic and being hospitalised.

“We’re definitely swimming upstream and that’s without a doubt, some wingers and backline players are looking like props now,” Andrews joked about the two men who are typically the heaviest players on the rugby field becoming endurance athletes.

Hurter takes the task slightly more seriously, competing in several varying endurance events across the year in South Africa.

“Marius is at another level,” Andrews admitted. “In terms of Comrades [Marathon] finisher, Ironman finisher, multiple Cape Town Cycle Tour finisher... so he’s another level.”

According to Andrews, the nature of the rugby position lends itself to excelling outside of the rectangular field as well.

“One thing about being a prop is that you know how to grind your way in difficult times, whether it’s a scrum or a ruck,” he said.

“You’re always carrying extra weight and it takes a lot more effort for you to move across the field.

“With running as well, we appreciate the fight that you are now, again, going against the grain and swimming upstream and just challenging yourself.

“That is important and that’s what props generally have – just that constant fight and mongrel that we display on the rugby field, just forms a big part of who we are.”

Andrews will be hoping that mongrel gets him through the streets of Cape Town during the Two Oceans (half) Marathon, which he is aiming to finish in three hours and 15 minutes.

“I always maintain it’s all about sub-finishing the race,” he said.

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