In 2006, Braam completed a world-first when he ran 4,200kms along the entire length of the Great Wall of China in a single attempt. This translated to running an average of 43kms per day (that’s over a marathon a day!), six days a week for over a hundred days. Professionals had said it was physically impossible.
After completing the journey, Braam underwent extensive knee surgery. His doctor’s said he would never run again. He again proved the experts wrong by running 3,300kms around the foot of Africa from Namibia to Mozambique. As with the China expedition, he averaged over a marathon a day.
Braam did ‘the impossible’ to prove to people (mainly children) that if you have big dreams, plan well and take risks, that NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE. Braam and David, with Round Table SA, raised over R2m for Operation Smile SA. Op Smile perform corrective facial surgeries on children who have deformities such as cleft palates and lips. As a result of their efforts, over 420 children receive the gift of a smile for the first time in their lives.
Braam is living proof that the power of the mind can triumph over perceived physical limitations.
