Lewa Marathon organisers hope to raise Sh35m after virtual race

 

Organisers of the Lewa Marathon this year hope to raise at least $350,000 (Sh35 million) from a virtual event that took place at the conservancy last Saturday.

Lewa Wildlife Conservancy chief executive officer Mike Watson said their traditional sponsors including Safaricom, Huawei, Tusk Trust as well as individuals had pledged support, boosting their fundraising activity at a time the event has been disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Only about 60 individuals drawn from rangers and members of staff from Lewa and Northern Rangeland Trust (NRT) participated in the marathon that was streamed live on social media platforms and the conservancy’s website just like in 2020.

The Ministry of Health Covid-19 containment measures that do not allow congregation of huge crowds forced most organisers to resort to streaming their events online, with sporting activities also being held virtually.

Mr Watson noted it was encouraging that their main sponsors were still committed to helping in conservation activities even without physical participation.

Virtual marathon

“We hope by next year when we hold our 22nd edition the pandemic will have been contained so that we can invite people to join us to celebrate this annual event,” Mr Watson said in an interview.

In 2019, at least 1,400 runners ran in the conservancy's wild tracks before a crowd of over 5,000 spectators from across the globe and raised $500,000 (Sh50 million) while last year the marathon raised $350,000 (Sh35 million), he added.

Lewa conservancy community development manager John Kinoti said individuals from at least 19 countries had registered for this year’s marathon, although they were not participating physically.

“Despite the lack of excitement with the crowds, the virtual marathon was successful and upheld the spirit of supporting each other. Besides conservation, part of the money raised will also support the community in water development, healthcare, women micro-enterprise and education, among other needs,” Mr Kinoti added.

“The event is still alive and although the funds are not as high as when it is physical, we know times are tough and people are holding on to the little resources they have. We appreciate the donations that will go a long way in changing the lives of members of the community.”

The official noted that with the disruption, this year’s event did not involve rigorous planning that included securing helicopters to patrol the tracks and other logistics.

“This is the new normal that we are getting used to and we encouraged all those who registered to run on the spot wherever they were and we got very good response in an event where there are no medals and everybody is a winner,” he said.    BY DAILY NATION