The Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Tusk, Safaricom PLC and Huawei Technologies (Kenya) Co Ltd. have announced that the Lewa Safari Marathon will be returning as a physical event on the 25th of June having been held virtually for the past two years.
For 23 years, the marathon held on Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, a UNESCO world heritage site and 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.
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.
The marathon has also been a vehicle for the advancement of education, healthcare and conservation efforts in Kenya, raising above USD 8,600,000 for these causes since the year 2000.
As lead co-sponsors, Safaricom and Huawei have continued to partner to support the marathon in its evolution. This year, other event sponsors will include Kenya Breweries Limited as well as Tetra Pak Ltd.
Speaking at the marathon launch, Mike Watson, CEO of the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy said 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,” said Watson.
Charlie Mayhew, CEO of Tusk noted that 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.
“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,” said Mayhew.
“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.”
Also commenting on the event, AnneJoy Michira, Acting Marketing and Innovations Director at Kenya Breweries Limited noted that conservation remains one of the key support areas for the company’s business, informed by our broader sustainability agenda aimed at ensuring 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,” said Michira..
Michira observed that over time the principal challenge for our wildlife species has been threat from habitat degradation, as well human-wildlife conflict that results from humans encroaching on and destroying our wildlife’s habitat, among other challenges. That is why in October last year Tusker adopted 2 elephants in the Amboseli, as part of a wider campaign to conserve the environment.
This year’s marathon will be held at the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy on 25th June. Registrations will open online at lewasafarimarathon.co.ke at 8.30 am on Wednesday 23rd March.
