Hello!

Thank you for taking your time to read my campaign – it means a lot to me to know you are interested in supporting my dream.

My name is Pardon Ndhlovu and I am a 28 year old Marathon Runner aspiring to represent Zimbabwe in the 2016 Rio Olympics. I am originally from Zimbabwe and moved to the United States in 2009 on an athletic scholarship to attend UNC Pembroke. As a collegiate athlete I was fortunate enough to amass a good record and some of my achievements include:

• All-American Track and Field status twice in 2012-2013 for 5,000 meters and 10,0000 meters
• All-American Cross Country status twice in 2009 and 2012
• Southeast Regional Athlete of The Year 2013
• Peachbelt Conference Athlete of The Year  2011 – 2013

I have been training part time for the past two years while pursuing my MBA, as the assistant coach at Augusta University in Georgia. During this time I have managed to run under the qualifying standard and I am one of the athletes on the short list for the Zimbabwe Olympic team set to participate in the Rio Olympics this summer.

I believe I will attain my goals and have ultimately committed to train full time, maximize my potential and be competitive leading up to Rio. Any support I receive will be critical as I focus on just training for the Olympics. I  am looking to raise $20 000 overall to help me cover the costs of training, traveling for competition, and living expenses in training camp over the next 6 months leading up to Rio. Training with a full-time coach and other Olympic athletes will only help me get better. I am in contention for the three spots on the team (currently sitting in second) with three other full time marathoners from Zimbabwe and I know with adequate resources and full time commitment I can achieve my dreams. I have been able to compete for all this time with no support but this will be a real challenge – requiring all the help I can get – as my training environment needs to be significantly scaled, if I plan to be successful in Rio.

My ultimate goal is for God to use my talent as a tool to change the world. I believe, I have a unique story from where I started to where I am right now. I want to use it to inspire and encourage other people to follow their passion and use their talents to make this world a better place. Also, I want to get to a level where I can just compete with the best in the world and not worry about funding.

Please help me reach my goal and I won’t let you down!  Thank you for taking the time to read my campaign and thank you in advance for any contributions big or small. Please share this page anyway you can, especially with your friends, families and colleagues. Please connect with me on Facebook and Twitter to stay up-to-date with my program and competitive events. God bless you.

– Pardon