I’ve really gone and done it this time…

In September I will be travelling to Kenya to take part in the 2022 For Rangers Ultra.  This is a challenge unlike anything I have ever taken on before.  It’s a 230km race split into five stages and crossing five wildlife conservancies.  The trails through the grasslands will be baking and the terrain rough through the rocky hills and riverbeds.  The course undulates between 1500m and 2000m and the air will be thinner than I'm used to.  Deprivation aside, I shall be running among elephants, rhinos, giraffes, zebras, warthogs and the like.

As if the distance, altitude and temperature were not enough to contend with, this is a self-sufficient race.  I’ll be carrying my entire kit, including freeze dried food, sleeping gear and safety equipment.  Tepid showers at the end of each stage and forcing myself into wet running gear at the start will be the order of the day.

The obvious question at this point is why?  Why do this?

Poaching activities have reached catastrophic levels.  This means that those on the ground protecting the wildlife are facing some of the toughest times ahead.  As the rangers find themselves in ever more dangerous situations, their roles are morphing from wildlife carers to wildlife soldiers.  Sadly, more wildlife rangers have been killed in the last ten years than British and American military personnel. Over 1000 have been killed since 2013. 

ForRangers is a charity raising money for the welfare of wildlife rangers.  They risk their lives every day protecting Africa's most endangered species.  They cover huge distances on foot and they are heavily reliant upon the equipment they carry with them.  They need high quality clothing, sturdy boots, binoculars, night vision goggles:  the list is lengthy.  Basic equipment is essential for them to effectively do their jobs.  ForRangers also helps protect the families of these dedicated professionals by providing funding for life insurance.