The Lewa Safari Marathon, an annual event that brings together athletes and running enthusiasts worldwide to run for a worthy cause, returns as a physical event on 25th June having been held virtually for the past two years.
The Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Tusk, Safaricom Plc and Huawei Technologies (Kenya) Co Ltd. announced on Tuesday during the launch.
The marathon is used to raise funds for a range of community groups, clinics, schools and wildlife conservancy projects in and around the Lewa Conservancy.
The Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in northern Kenya is home to the annual Lewa Safari Marathon.
For 23 years, the marathon held on Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, a UNESCO world heritage site co-organised by wildlife conservation charity Tusk, has allowed participants from all over the globe to compete in an internationally acclaimed annual event whilst running through one of Africa’s most breath-taking wildlife conservancies.
Since its inception, it has raised over Ksh 800 million.
Regarded as one of the toughest marathons in the world, runners of all abilities have taken part – from elite professionals like Marathon World Record Holder Eliud Kipchoge to amateur runners and walkers.
During this year’s edition, participants will have the option of running their desired amount of kilometres including 5Km, 10km, 21km and 42km.
“While still providing an exciting and exhilarating marathon experience, the 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,” Mike Watson, CEO of the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy said Tuesday.
Charlie Mayhew, CEO of Tusk shared, “It’s a joy to be able to bring this one-of-a-kind event back to Kenya…We are immensely grateful to Safaricom and Huawei once again for their generous sponsorship of the marathon, as well as to Kenya Breweries Limited and Tetra Pak Ltd for their support.”
The Lewa Safari Marathon brings together three things that we really care about as a company; Sports, Community and Conservation. We remain committed to supporting the marathon because we have seen how it continues to transform lives and that speaks to the essence of our purpose,” said Peter Ndegwa, CEO, Safaricom.
Speaking at the event, Ms Fiona Pan Huawei Deputy CEO Public Affairs stated, “Environmental sustainability is a key pillar of Huawei’s sustainability strategy and that is why this marathon is and continues to be a key activity that we support together with our partner Safaricom.”
“Conservation remains one of the key support areas for our business, informed by our broader sustainability agenda aimed at ensuring a better environment not only for wildlife but also for communities living around them. We deeply share this ethos with The Lewa Safari Marathon and we are proud to lend our support now, and potentially in future as we look to make real impact when it comes to conserving Kenya’s wildlife,” AnneJoy Michira, Acting Marketing and Innovations Director at Kenya Breweries Limited said.
“Sustainability is at the heart of our business and our ambition is to deliver the world’s most sustainable food package. By continuing to develop increasingly sustainable packaging solutions, we are helping food producers, consumers and the entire value chain to improve their environmental footprint, mitigate climate change and protect nature – all while ensuring food safety and availability for a growing number of people around the world,” – Jonathan Kinisu, Managing Director, Tetra Pak East Africa
