Run Like A Kenyan
‘Roar like a lion’ or ‘sting like a bee’. We too, as Kenyans are also being similie-d. We are the very definition of excellence in running.
Run…like a Kenyan.
Last week people came from across the world to do exactly that. Or at least run with Kenyans – in their home environment. And perhaps along the way pick up come of the magic of Kenyan running.
1300 people; elite runners, members of running clubs, people on their own personal missions, some from as close as Nairobi, others from as far as Australia each running their own races in the undulating hills of Laikipia. The best part though was the reason. All of them running across the slopes and plains that are home to thousands of wild animals and most importantly precious precious rhinos.
For seventeen years people have congregated each June to run for the protection and conservation of wildlife. Fundraising efforts begin with each runner paying Ksh 15,000 to register for the Lewa Marathon. Each runner is further mandated to raise at least Ksh 100,000 for wildlife conservation as part of their participation. Taking part in this race requires training and fundraising dedication.
Wildlife protection often seems like a distant issue for most Kenyans. Yet our wildlife is all around us, such an ingrained part of our reality we hardly think twice about it. Our wildlife is on our banknotes and coins, synonymous with our biggest brands whether its a bank or a supermarket. Team names of our houses at school, kifaru, chui, simba. Our wildlife is such an integrated part of us we sometimes forget just how precious and unique that heritage is.
The folly of that assumption came into sharp focus in April 2016 when hundreds congregated to witness the burning of 105 tons of ivory and 1.3 tons of rhino horn at Nairobi National Park. That stockpile represented more than 6,500 elephants and over 130 rhinos. Them and their descendants gone. Never to return. Our heritage is under threat and so this year’s Lewa Marathon became even more poignant. The reason became real.
The 1300 runners were joined by a group of wildlife Rangers. Running in full gear, army boots, 20kgs in their backpacks and their rifles. A Ranger runs with his stock in trade… 21 kilometers of running, hotstepping, they didn’t falter. These everyday heroes are the frontline of our heritage. Protecting rhinos and elephants, big cats and small antelopes against poachers. By tracking and physically guarding each rhino they are the epitome of #WorthMoreAlive. Each day on the job, they commit to understanding the needs and protecting the lives of the animal population they have chosen to serve.
Each year the Safaricom marathon at Lewa raises millions of shillings for the conservation and protection of wildlife, predominantly in northern Kenya but as far as the marine parks of the Kenya coast. Funds raised provide for the construction of schools in Laikipia and community projects that help resolve the ever real and multifaceted human-wildlife conflict. And last, but far from least, provides the funds that enables the Rangers to do their duty.
Here its not just about running like a Kenyan, but running for Kenya as well.
For more information on the proceeds of the Safaricom Marathon and the work of the Rangers at Lewa and KWS see www.tusk.org and www.lewa.org
