This year, the Lewa Safari Marathon returns – in real life – in Kenya, for the first time since 2019, to help rebuild Kenya’s most vulnerable communities and wildlife. Organised by Tusk and Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in partnership with Safaricom, the internationally acclaimed sporting event is regarded as one of the toughest marathons in the world. It has been a vehicle for the advancement of education, healthcare and conservation efforts in Kenya. This year, the Lewa Safari Marathon will be the most environmentally friendly yet, eliminating nearly 300kg of single-use plastic from the race and working towards complete carbon neutrality.
For the last two years, runners from all over the world joined the marathon virtually to help mitigate the devastating impacts of COVID-19 across Kenya’s most vulnerable communities and wildlife. Returning as a physical event on Saturday June 25, 2022 at the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in northern Kenya, participants will get the opportunity to run through one of Africa’s most spectacular protected areas. Offering unique challenges, runners will share the trails with some of Kenya’s most iconic and critically endangered wildlife, including Grevy’s zebra, lion, elephant and giraffe.
From conserving populations of black rhino, and critically endangered Grevy’s zebra, to ensuring that Lewa’s frontline conservation, education and community projects are able to continue their critical work, the money raised will provide vital support to Kenya’s people and ecosystems. By preserving the planet’s incredible biodiversity, funds raised will also support the role of wildlife in climate change mitigation and adaptation. To date, the annual event has raised more than £6 million for frontline conservation, schools and healthcare initiatives across Kenya.
In addition to attracting runners from across Africa and around the world, the marathon continues to receive incredible support from Kenya’s business community, with Kenya Breweries Limited and Tetra Pak coming on board in 2022 as Entertainment Partner and Environmental Sustainability Partner respectively.
Charlie Mayhew, CEO of Tusk, says: “It’s a joy to be able to bring this one-of-a-kind event back to Kenya. The Lewa Safari Marathon has a 20-year legacy of drawing runners from around the world to raise significant funds for a wide range of conservation, education and community initiatives across Kenya.”
Mike Watson, CEO of Lewa Wildlife Conservancy: “While still providing an exciting and exhilarating marathon experience, Lewa Safari Marathon 2022 aims to be the most environmentally friendly event Lewa has hosted to date. This drive is inspired by the urgent need to reduce our carbon footprint, which aligns with our ethos and standards as we strive to be a model for biodiversity and ecosystem preservation.”
This year’s Lewa Safari Marathon will be the most environmentally friendly to date, as the race strives to become completely carbon neutral. Measures include eliminating nearly 300kg of single-use plastic from the race, as well as the opportunity for participants to purchase trees that will be planted within the conservancy, helping to offset the event’s carbon footprint.
From sign up to event day, Tusk and Lewa will be there in support every step of the way. Entrants will receive training tips from rangers and athletes, as well as messages of encouragement from the field. Follow Tusk, Lewa and Safaricom on social media to keep updated.
Registrations are open online at lewasafarimarathon.com. Please contact marathon@lewa.org for any race queries.