What do you think about…
I have often been asked what I think about on runs - especially the ones in challenging landscapes. So, consider this post a listener request. Below is the abridged version for some of my thoughts and useful visual aides to capture the moment. Race start at 7:18:02...
The Art of giving Direction…
Here is the thing, really no amount of running through Florida forests, albeit with snakes, alligators, flying things that could carry a newborn, and the horrid Flannel Moth Caterpillar(no it does not hide in lumberjack clothing rather hangs out in Oak hammocks and...
Driving to our camp…
To quote one of our fearless leaders 'The amount of game is just ridiculous'. Now, seeing as how I was pretty much in awe in a sort of Jurassic Park way I was encouraged to hear this. Plenty of game in my mind meant the lions would be unimpressed with our scrawny...
Flying to Singita and …
After the night in Arusha I re-traced my steps to the Kilimanjaro airport to hop on the Grumeti Air flight for the last leg of the trip. The same cheerful yet somewhat window obsessed driver(think up-down, up-down)collected me at the Duluti lake lodge (never did see a...
All about Tsetse…
Besides being a really neat word to ask someone to spell, this fly common now to Sub-Saharan Africa is not something you want to have bump into you. Interestingly, fossilized tsetse flies have been found in 34 million year old rock beds in Colorado, USA. However, the...
A country a day…
We are getting there everyone! The day flight from Heathrow to Nairobi was right on schedule and we slipped over the equator and slid into Nairobi under a crescent moon for an on-time arrival. Very uneventful for those wanting a drama blog post. However, there is...
A London Layover…
If you want a wonderful spot to ward off the woozies from jet lag then London is your place. Especially if you are coming from North America or are otherwise accustomed to autos that drive on the ‘right’ side of the road. Because from the moment you walk outside of...
Good Bye North America…
I headed out on my last jog early this morning as the humidity crept into the fall air and the sun climbed over the slight rise on E.Levy street(You know you can GoogleEarth it and cruise right along the road too - minus the sandspurs and creaky body parts- it is...
The Art of being Lost
As surely as a blister will appear and sweat will roll down your face, one is bound to get lost when participating in long distance events across remote terrain. I have witnessed wild camels eat the bamboo markers, mistakenly followed lichen that looked like a trail...
The Road to Why…
The Eisenhower Highway system is a marvel of transportation infrastructure that has simultaneously organized and frustrated drivers in the United States since 1956. It covers about 48,000 miles of roadway – the lifeblood of America’s love of and compulsion for the...
About the Run and the Cause
The run is a complementary effort between The Grumeti Fund and the Brave Foundation to directly benefit the larger conservation and girls education efforts in the region. As part of Safaris with a Purpose, it intimately shares the wonder and potential of the Serengeti while contributing to the future of the greater region.
In a nutshell, Women and girls in rural communities like those bordering the 350,000-acre Singita Grumeti reserve in northern Tanzania face a range of challenges in everyday life, not least of all being a lack of access to quality education and support for small businesses. According to the United Nations, poverty is the primary barrier to education for girls, more so than cultural resistance or gender inequality but girls who complete primary and secondary education tend to marry later, have smaller families and earn significantly higher wages. Some of the positive outcomes include faster economic growth, improved maternal and infant health and lower incidences of HIV/AIDS.
One of the focus areas for the Singita Grumeti Fund is addressing this very issue, which is done through secondary school, vocational studies and university scholarships, life skills and enterprise development training, environmental education and internships. Helping to create the next generation of female leaders in conservation is the specific focus of the fundraising being done through the multi-stage race at Singita Grumeti, which provides 20 participants with an opportunity to make a profound contribution to this cause.
This is not just a run through stunning settings, it is a chance to move purposefully towards a future of opportunity