AWF Staff Win Second Place in the Safaricom Marathon

Running wild' took on a whole new meaning June 26th 2004 as 500 runners from 19 countries competed in the 5th annual Safaricom marathon. The marathon did not wind through city streets lined with skyscrapers, but instead the course weaved through the golden plains of Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, a teeming game reserve set against the backdrop of Mt. Kenya.

Among the runners, the eight members that comprised the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) team found themselves running past zebras, gazelles, and even white rhinos. One member had to take an unexpected rest as marathon safety officials diverted a bull elephant which was attempting to cross the runner's path. The AWF team consisted of staff from our Nairobi and Arusha offices as well as Namunyak community members from our Samburu Heartland. This collaborative effort proved successful as the AWF team won second place in the Corporate division.

The AWF team competed with other corporate teams, community teams, Members of Parliament, world record holders, and other runners in this unique event - the only race of its kind to be held in a game reserve.

For years, Lewa Wildlife Conservancy has developed a partnership between conservation activities, local communities and tourism. Originally a private farm owned by the Craig family, Lewa evolved to become a wildlife sanctuary where black and white rhinos are bred and closely monitored, and other animals such as endangered Grevy's zebra can persist despite pressures from growing human populations in surrounding areas.

Lewa recognized that conserving wildlife hinged on the involvement of local communities. A partnership was formed between Lewa and the surrounding areas, one that showed that people can co-exist with wildlife, even benefiting from it. Transforming human-wildlife conflict into a collaborative partnership has been a great success for everyone involved.

This philosophy is concurrent to that of AWF so it only makes sense that Lewa is one of our partners in the Samburu Heartland. In the past two years, AWF has contributed US$10,000 to Lewa for aerial survey's of wildlife. This year AWF was proud to participate as a team in the marathon, bringing together staff with community members in an event that showcases the partnership between organizations like AWF and Lewa, communities, and wildlife. "Participation by groups like AWF are vital to raise the profile of conservation efforts in Africa and to create networks between people and wildlife," said Sara Spendrup, marathon organizer.

The marathon was established in 2000 with the aim to raise much needed funds for conservation and community projects in and around northern Kenya. Organized by Lewa Wildlife Conservancy and Tusk, and sponsored by Safaricom, one of Kenya's major cell phone networks, the marathon has raised over Ksh 40,000,000 (US$500,000) since its inception. The funds are allocated on a priority basis, being distributed to school programs, community development, healthcare, and wildlife conservation.

This year the record was shattered as Peter Ndegwa, a relative unknown local runner, finished the marathon in 2 hrs. 19.01. Also present were Kenyan natives Catherine Ndereba and Paul Tergat, women's and men's marathon World Champions, respectively. That night, weary runners and happy spectators turned out to celebrate the event's real winners, the local wildlife and communities for whom the marathon showcases one of Kenya's true success stories.