Racing together to give children an education

Nineteen DS Smith colleagues from various departments took part in the 11th annual Acerta Brussels Ekiden relay marathon to have fun and support vulnerable children in Africa.

The annual Acerta Brussels Ekiden relay marathon is the largest relay marathon in the world with 1600 teams of 6 runners participating. It wasn’t just a one-day event for DS Smith; our colleagues enjoyed working together to plan their run in the weeks leading up to the fun challenge too.

“I had just moved to the Brussels office. I saw the marathon as a great opportunity to get to know my new colleagues better out of the office and, at the same time, support a worthy cause,” notes Nelly Haeffele, Marketing and Communication Manager for the Paper Division. “The fun and team building began even before the event as we challenged each other to participate and discussed how far each of us would run.” 

Our three teams of six colleagues – along with one person in reserve (just in case) – and their supporters assembled at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels on the warm, sunny October morning. Proudly wearing t-shirts displaying our company logo, the teams and their colleagues anxiously waited for the marathon to begin. Three people from each team were about to run five kilometres, two were about to run 10 kilometres, and one person was about to run just over seven kilometres – making a combined team run of 42.2 kilometres.

Working as a team

Of the 1,600 teams that took part: 1,400 were from the corporate world including Shell, Siemens, Ikea, LEGO & AB Inbev; the remainder were primarily teams of professional athletes – including Olympic athletes Kevin &Jonathan Borlée who started the race and each led a team. “Bank & Insurance company BNP Parisbas had even 150 teams participating, so our DS Smith branded outfit was important to stand out in the crowd.” adds Maud Delbeke, Digital and Marketing Project Coordinator for the Packaging Division.

The event provided a great opportunity for colleagues who normally just interact via phone or email to meet in person, and to interact with close colleagues in a new way. “It was great to share the experience as a team,” shares Nadia Rajoum, European Sales Operations Coordinator for the Packaging Division.

Nadia ran five kilometres, with Maud following her for their team’s final seven-kilometre stretch. A strong team spirit motivated colleagues to carry on through the tough terrain. “I could hear my colleagues in the crowd shouting and screaming, willing me on,” recalls Maud. “I gave it my all. Even though mine was the last DS Smith team to finish, I made a sprint for the final line because I knew my colleagues were there waiting for me.” 

Participants felt fulfilled by their achievements, both individually and as a team. “I am not an athletic person, so I really had to push myself,” reveals Nadia. “I feel really proud of what I personally achieved and what we achieved as a team.” And the athletes are looking forward to running together again. “We plan to participate again next year,” adds Nelly. “And even train together during the months leading up to the race this time.”

Supporting a great cause

The race has a serious side too. The teams were not only supporting each other in mind, body, and spirit; they were also supporting vulnerable children. SOS Villages d’Enfants, the main charity partner for the race, supports street children around the world. Its projects include the SOS Children’s Village in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which provides homes and education for 150 street children. A total of €25,000 was raised by the entire event and officially presented to the charity before the start of the race.

“We took part in support of a good cause and that gave us a great feeling,” reveals Nadia. “Through our efforts DS Smith will fund schooling for three children for a year.”

For DS Smith, participating in events such as this is as much about encouraging colleagues to get to know each other as it is about making a real difference to the lives of less fortunate children across the world and look forward participating with more DS Smith teams for the 2015 edition.