Two years ago I ran in my first ½ marathon with my friend Whitney. I never thought I would do such a thing. It was a blast, which was another shock to me. When Whitney got to Africa, one of her first suggestions was to run a ½ marathon while here. “Great idea! I thought.” We live at 6,200 ft so the altitude took a little getting used to and the streets aren’t the paved roads like you find in Dallas. In addition the rainy season adds to the interesting morning run as we dodge mud puddles in the already uneven dirt road.
It took us awhile to find out information on the ½ marathon that takes place here in Kenya and I really wasn’t sure it would pan out. When we got all the information it seemed even less likely that we’d be running since you have to form a team of no less than 5 people. Two months went by with little talk of the run. Then two weeks ago a few of us met in Nairobi and found out we have a team of 10! We paid our entrance and lodging fee, and were officially signed up the following day. How exciting, right? I was pretty pumped. Then last night as I was reading through part of my Kenya Lonely Planet I stumbled upon information about the race. I will directly quote from the book so you can get the full information like I did.
Lewa Wildlife Conservancy
“While the massive 263-sq-km Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, just south of Isiolo, could boast about their luxury lodges, stunning scenery, astounding wildlife activities and having often hosted Prince William, they’d rather talk about their community and conservation projects. Founded in 1995, LWC now spends an amazing 30% of its budget on healthcare and education for surrounding villages, 40% towards community projects, with the remainder funding conservation and security. To help raise awareness and fund they host one of the world’s most rewarding and exhausting marathons.
The conservancy effort has been astounding and 20% of the world’s Grevy’s zebras, 8% of Kenya’s black rhinos, a rare population of aquatic sitatunga antelopes and sizeable populations of white rhinos, elephants, buffaloes, leopards, lions and cheetahs now call this magical place home.”
Running for your life and then some
“It’s one thing to run a marathon to the encouraging screams of people, it’s entirely another to run it sharing the course with elephants, rhinos and the odd antelope! Established in 2000 to raise funds for wildlife conservation and community development, the Safaricom Marathon, run within the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in late June/early July, attracts world-record holders and is renowned worldwide as one of the planet’s toughest marathons. Thanks to experienced rangers, helicopters and spotter planes, your only worry should be the heat and the 1700m average elevation.
Will you be slowed by repeatedly gazing into the bewildered eyes of nearby giraffes or will your legs speed on at the thought of cheetahs and lions lurking in the grass? Why not try it and find out? Visit www.tusk.org for more details.”
I really encourage anyone interested in learning more about this race and seeing the incredible pictures to visit the website and clink on the link titled Safaricom Marathon. The race takes place June 28th. As of this week, Whitney and I have gone as far as 9 miles on our long runs once a week and are doing well. We have a tiny edge training at a slightly higher altitude than that where the race takes place; I’m hoping this edge will carry me through. Wish us luck.
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AWESOME! I can't believe you are running against some of the best runners! That's so cool and it is so great how much they do in the community. Good luck against the rhino's though! :)
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