In a world where every step can feel like a struggle, Nono Zwane is running for something far more profound than a finish line. She runs not only with her feet, but with a heart stitched together by resilience, and lungs filled with the breath of survival. This August and September, Zwane will once again lace up her shoes and take to the streets of Tshwane and Joburg as a CANSA Champion in the Absa RUN YOUR CITY SERIES – not for a medal, but for meaning.
A survivor, a fighter, a beacon – Zwane has lived what no finish line ever prepared her for.
Diagnosed with Stage 2B breast cancer at 36, she found herself suddenly sprinting through a terrain not mapped by GPS but carved in flesh and fear. Ductal carcinoma, receptor-positive – medical words that hit harder than any hill on the route. Chemotherapy wasn’t a set of intervals; it was sixteen grueling rounds that burned through her body like wildfire through dry grass. A segmentectomy and thirty sessions of radiation followed, each one a brutal mile in a race against time and doubt.
But Zwane did not stumble. She stood. She moved. And now, she runs.
My advice to others is to first accept your diagnosis. That acceptance gives you the strength to fight. Mental strength is just as important as physical endurance in this journey. It’s not your fault that this happened — and it can be beaten.
Zwane’s voice carries the tone of someone who has scaled the steepest emotional climbs. In her world, the road to recovery is no sprint — it’s a slow, punishing ultra-marathon. And yet, she keeps going, powered not by water tables or energy gels, but by hope and community.
Light exercise saved me. It clears your head. It steadies the heartbeat when panic sets in. It reminds your body what it feels like to move forward, even if your life feels stuck.
Running, for Zwane, became something sacred — not about pace, but about purpose. While others chase personal bests, she’s chasing presence. The crisp city air, the thump of sneakers on tar, the shared spirit of strangers moving together — all become lifelines for her, reminders that even after cancer, there is more to come. And it can be beautiful.
She’ll be returning to the Absa RUN YOUR CITY TSHWANE 10K on 24 August 2025, and the Joburg 10K on 24 September, bringing her story to life with every step. It's not her first time at either event. In 2023 and 2024, she ran them too — but each time with deeper meaning.
I love the route, the vibrance, the city pulsing beneath your feet. You’re not just running through streets — you’re running through the spirit of a place, past murals of memory and towers of resilience.
For Zwane, the real finish line isn’t marked by a medal or time chip. It’s the moment when a fellow survivor in the crowd feels seen. When someone still fighting hears her story and dares to believe that life after cancer isn’t just possible — it’s radiant.
To those still in the trenches, you are not alone. I know the fear, the pain, the sleepless nights filled with questions. But I also know hope. And hope runs deep.
Her words land softly, like the hush before sunrise on race day — when the streets are still and all things feel possible.
Don’t wait for tomorrow. Run your life today. Love now. Dream now. Lean on your village — it takes one to get through.
Michael Meyer, Managing Director of Stillwater Sports and founder of the Absa RUN YOUR CITY SERIES, calls Zwane “a true inspiration.”
Her presence at these events is a powerful reminder that every person on the road has a story. Through her courage, she brings hope to others, showing them that even after cancer, you can live — and run — with joy.
Zwane’s path forward will be flanked by thousands of other runners this year. But it’s not just the movement of legs that matters. It’s the motion of hearts. And Zwane, CANSA Champion, mother, survivor, runner — she is running with all of hers.
As the whistle blows in Tshwane and the crowd swells in Joburg, know this: somewhere among the sea of shoes and sweatbands is a woman who’s already won.
Because sometimes, the strongest runners aren’t the fastest — they’re the ones who’ve already outrun fear.
More info: http://www.runyourcityseries.com
