The Lewa Safari Marathon is a charity event held at the Lewa Conservancy. It raises funds for community programs and wildlife conservation. It’s organised with Huawei, Safaricom and Tusk Trust, a foundation that helps indigenous communities with donor funding to maximise the impact of grassroots initiatives.
The race has also gained a reputation as one of the world’s toughest marathons. It has been happening for 23 years, growing from humble numbers—180 runners in 2000 raising $50,000 and 1400 runners in 2019 raising $500,000 for wildlife conservation. In total, the Lewa Safaricom Marathon has raised $8.8 million. The money has funded conservation, school infrastructure, equipping health facilities, and enabling sustainable water harvesting.
The 2023 Lewa Safari Marathon will take place on June 24th. Safaricom will be sponsoring it with Sh10 million. It also has had a vested interest in the event, with the CEO Peter Ndegwa winning the 10km 2022 edition.
How to participate in the marathon
East African residents can register on the Kenyan website of the Lewa Conservancy from March 15th. This only applies to residents of Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.
The forms ask you to register as an individual, in groups of five-nine or groups of ten.
Private and corporate groups pay a registration fee of Sh180,000.
A children’s group registering for the Children’s Race pays Sh3,000 per child.
Individuals and groups of 5-9 pay Sh20,000 per person.
Runners must pay for AMREF evacuation cover for Sh1,500 each if they don’t have any.
All runners are expected at the start of the race by 7.00 am. Registration ends by 6.30 am on race day.
Accommodation is available at a campsite where you must provide all your camping equipment.
There is also the option of the Location Africa Camp, where you must book and register by contacting 0724 926 571 or emailing africafilms@africaonline.co.ke.
All runners must provide proof of COVID vaccination or a negative PCR test taken at least three days before the event’s day.
International residents should register on the international website. Spectators, individual runners, and corporate teams all have to register.
Prices are £150 per person for adults participating in the marathons as runners or spectators. The Children’s Race is £50 per child.
The entry form requires the following:
- Race details such as which marathon you’re participating in, which team you’re supporting, or the number of team members
- Confirmation of accommodation
- Personal details
- A head and shoulders colour photo that’s at least 100kb and doesn’t exceed 2MB.
- Travel and medical insurance details, including the insurance company name, company number, and a digital copy of the insurance policy for individual runners.
- Emergency contact details
- Vest size
- Agreement to terms and conditions
- Payment confirmation
Safaricom Environment and Conservation efforts
Safaricom is responsible for planting millions of trees, a project that will continue into 2026. It has also planted one million trees in partnership with the Kenya Forest Service. In addition, it has partnered with world-renowned Eliud Kipchoge to plant 5,000 seedlings in the Kaptagat forest. They fenced off the Mau-Eburu Forest and sensitized residents to reduce human-wildlife conflict.
The MPESA Foundation also partnered with the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary, Samburu County. The sanctuary takes care of orphaned or calves abandoned by their herd. The foundation donated millions to increase the number of elephant stables from 5 to 20. In addition, the sponsorship enabled the sanctuary to hire 50 people from the local community. Reteti now also has fencing, a tractor, and a staff canteen.
They have also sponsored the restoration of the Roan antelope. The initiative started in January 2021. As of January 2023, there are now 25 Roan antelopes, up from 14. In addition, it is a collaboration among the MPESA Foundation, Kenya Wildlife Service, and the Northern Rangelands Trust. An 8.6km fence was established around the sanctuary to prevent human encroachment. Periodic community meetings get indigenous communities involved in conservation.
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