This Sunday a team of wonderful people will be taking on 26.2 miles to boost rhino conservation efforts in the 2021 London Marathon, and we’d love to give them a big cheer. Good luck runners!
Yes, one of our favourite days of the year is back, the 2021 London Marathon is almost here! But this year the London Marathon is different to all the others that came before it. People won’t be taking part just via the official route in London; they’ll be all over the world. We’ve got 38 people that will be starting their marathon in Greenwich Park, London, 32 people toeing the line in North Luangwa National Park, Zambia, and one person running in Durban, South Africa! This year, the rhino runners have truly gone global!
Here are a few more facts about this brilliant team:
- 14 are taking part in their first marathon (and, if we may say so ourselves, they’ve made a brilliant choice running for rhinos in the London Marathon!)
- 24 have run at least one marathon before, and eight have run for rhinos before
- There will be eight rhino costumes charging through the city streets
- 31 are members of the conservation team at North Luangwa Conservation Programme
- Our very own Communications Manager, Emma, will be taking part
- One of our runners, Chris Green – or Rhino Boy Chris, as he’s most well-known – is attempting to be the fastest rhino costume marathoner ever, adding to his recent record half marathon time 01:50:05!
Speaking of Rhino Boy Chris, here’s a message from him in advance of Sunday’s event,
“Well, the big day has almost arrived! Rhinos and runners from all over are gathering for the greatest race of all – the London Marathon. For this wanna-be-rhino the anticipation is almost too much, I cannot wait to be back at my favourite event, dressed as my favourite animal in aid of my favourite charity!”
We’re beyond proud of this team. Some of them started their marathon journeys as far back as 2019 and, like so many others, they’ve been waiting to take on the 26.2 for a very long time. They’ve not only battled long runs through wind, rain, and dark clouds, but also kept up their efforts through those hot, humid and “I just need an ice cream” days. Through it all, they’ve kept the goal of completing the marathon in their sights, and they’ve raised an incredible amount for rhinos. So far, the team’s total stands at £50,243!
Good luck to everyone that’s running this year, and a big thank you to all their family and friends for supporting their extraordinary efforts.
We can’t wait to see everyone reach their finish lines. If you see any of our runners on Sunday 3 October, please give them a big cheer as they make their way through this wonderful event. Let’s go rhinos!
Follow the rhinos’ journey this weekend via our social media channels and donate towards their incredible achievement.
