Marissa Groenewald’s rope whips through the air, cracking against the ground as she pushes through the hardest race of her life—but not for the reason you might think. It’s not because she’s invented a new sport called “rope running,” in which she runs while skipping rope. And it’s not because this is her first marathon as The Rope Runner. Her body is already well accustomed to this sport. Instead, it’s the gale-force winds and severe stomach cramps—symptoms of a viral infection that would land her in the hospital later that evening—that make the race especially grueling.
Less than a quarter of the way through, she has already spent 60% of her energy. Groenewald realizes that if she doesn’t achieve a qualifying time, she’ll have to race again.
“I’m not doing this again, so better get on with it,” she thinks to herself, and forges on.
Despite the challenges, Groenewald finishes the Balwin Sport Peninsula Marathon in South Africa, where she lives, securing a qualifying time—the first major milestone on the road to setting Guinness World Records in this brand-new sport.
But Groenewald isn’t just chasing records for herself. She’s using her journey to raise support and awareness for victims of human trafficking in partnership with Love Justice International.
“The Lord was so faithful—I feel like He has given me supernatural strength to do this,” she said about that first marathon.
That strength will be crucial as she faces her next two milestones: rope running the 56km (about 35 miles) Totalsports Two Oceans UltraMarathon and the 89km (about 55 miles) Comrades Marathon, known as the Ultimate Human Race. No one has ever done this before.
Getting started
Groenewald began running in 2020, just before the COVID-19 lockdown, after moving to a province in South Africa where running is extremely popular.
In January of 2024, while recovering from a hip injury, she started jump roping to help strengthen her hips. Jumping rope in place quickly got boring, so she started running with it.
“I’m a creature of variety,” she said. “It started in the gym and then it was one kilometer and two kilometers and five kilometers, and then 10 kilometers, and now I'm doing marathons and ultra marathons.”
Just like that, a new sport was born. Now, she hopes to inspire others to join her, with dreams that rope running might one day make it to the Olympics.
A heart for victims of human trafficking
Groenewald’s awareness of human trafficking started with her parents, who lived in Myanmar for about a decade. During that time, her mother spent seven years working with a team that taught trafficking survivors different skills, like jewelry-making. (Pictured below: Marissa's mom teaching survivors in Myanmar and survivors making jewelry. Faces blurred for privacy.)
Groenewald had the opportunity to visit Myanmar twice and see the work firsthand before her parents returned to South Africa.
“It hit home a lot,” she said. “It’s like a light had gone on in my head that this is a real thing. It’s right under our noses.”
She specifically recalled the change in the survivors’ faces from photographs of them right after being rescued, when they were dealing with a lot of trauma, compared to when she saw them in person.
“I remember there were many girls, like 20 girls sitting there making jewelry. And I remember vividly the radiance on their faces. … It was like they had a new chance at living,” she said.
Groenewald and her husband also employ a man in their manufacturing company who was once trafficked. He was deceived by a false job offer and sold into slave labor in another country. Another organization helped free him and get him back home to South Africa, and Groenewald’s mother told her that he needed a job. (Pictured left: Groenewald with her mom)
“It’s just wonderful to really be invested in the life of somebody who was caught in that. It’s very close to my heart,” said Groenewald.
She knew she wanted to use rope running to help fight human trafficking, but she wasn’t sure which organization to partner with—until she ran into an old acquaintance from church. When she told him her idea, he mentioned that his wife works for Love Justice.
“It’s like the Lord just opened the doors that this is the avenue to go. And it’s been smooth sailing ever since,” said Groenewald. “And I’m so grateful because Love Justice is also innovative in their approach, and rope running is fairly new on the spectrum of world athletics. So the two dovetail pretty well, you know, the crazy versus the innovative—it just works.”
A voice for the voiceless
Being the first to do something new—and setting records in the process—has given Groenewald a platform to speak out about human trafficking.
“Human trafficking is not something people think about unless there's somebody that shines a light on it. And this is why I thought, ‘You know what? I'm going to be that person,’” she said.
She’s already seen how powerful her journey has been in creating awareness.
“It has been an eye-opener for every single person that has come in contact with my story—that you can actually protect lives by getting involved or spreading the news or just being some sort of voice for the people who don't have a voice. It has been a phenomenal tool for people to know what's going on.”
When she’s not rope running, Groenewald runs a business specializing in furniture and outdoor fire pits and helps organize a trail running event. She is also a mom of two kids—a 9-year-old boy and a 7-year-old girl.
Her daughter already wants to be a rope runner one day!
Looking ahead
With two ultramarathons still ahead, Groenewald trusts God to carry her through not only training, but also keep her healthy on race days. Even with extensive training and preparation, the reality is that a simple unexpected illness or injury could majorly disrupt her plans on race day.
“I’m not a person to fear anything really. … Am I nervous? Yes, especially for Comrades—it’s an enormous challenge for a normal runner to take on, let alone rope running the thing. At the end of the day, it’s not about me. It is about the cause behind it, about protecting lives, about creating awareness. So if anything, my prayer is, ‘Lord, please just protect me.’”
The night before her first marathon, she felt the weight of facing the unknown alone. There was no one to guide her, no one to offer advice.
“I am the pioneer of this thing. Who knows where it's going, but I am it. People will one day maybe phone me for advice, but I had no one, you know? It’s a lonely journey,” said Groenewald. “I’m kind of paving the way, and that is daunting. But it’s an honor. It’s quite a privilege as well.”
Despite the loneliness of being the only person who has attempted this feat so far, Groenewald was surprised and grateful to see a wealth of supporters come around her to champion her in her goals.
“I underestimated the importance and the power of support and encouragement from people all around me. I didn't realize what a massive impact that would have on my life and how the community and the people next to the road … really pulled me through. I feel like it was a national effort for me to actually complete that.
“The momentum is definitely growing. I have no doubt that that would be another thing that will definitely pull me through is the fact that South Africa will come together. Which makes me so excited because if I can get the entire South Africa invested in rope running, I can get them invested in Love Justice and invested and aware of what's going on. And through that, create massive awareness.”
Support Marissa
We are honored to partner with such an inspiring and driven woman! She’s going to change the world, and we’re cheering her on every step of the way.
Marissa’s goal is to raise 500,000 Rand (a little over $27,000) to fight human trafficking with Love Justice. That would equip our teams to intercept about 200 people to stop them from being trafficked. Give to help her meet her goal at the button below, and follow her journey on Instagram at @theroperunner.
*All data and statistics current at the date and time of publishing. Some specific locations excluded for privacy and security purposes.
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