We are back in Kenya ready for the second For Rangers Ultra and we are very excited.  Last year’s race was a massive success in which 50 international runners raised over one hundred thousand pounds for Save the Rhino and For Rangers.  This year, we have brought 70 runners from 14 different nations and we have high hopes of the event being even better.

The Race Begins in Lewa Wildlife Conservancy.  In partnership with neighbouring Borana Conservancy, this UNESCO World Heritage site is home to 93 Black Rhino, 70 White Rhino and the world’s largest population of Grevy’s Zebra.   We’ve seen a lot of baboons around Base Camp too, they seem to have developed a taste for race snacks.

The runners left their digs in Nairobi this morning and piled onto our coaches ready for the 5hr drive out to Laikipia county where the race takes place.  By mid afternoon we had reached Base Camp and the runners had seen their new home for the first time.  There was little time to settle in before registration, kit checks and race and medical briefings took place.  There is a lot they need to learn before we turn them loose on the course tomorrow morning.

Lewa is a beautiful wildlife conservancy and put on a suitably beautiful show for the runners as the breeze whipped up dust in front of a golden sunset, followed by a sky full of stars.  The milky way is visible to the naked eye over camp tonight whilst the runners attempt to sleep away the pre-race nerves.

Tomorrow morning they’ll start their journey at 8am local time (10am UTC).  Tomorrow’s stage is the shortest at 38km but with temperatures expected to reach 28°c and the altitude being around 2000m, the day will still be a big challenge for our runners. You can follow their adventure via these daily blogs, our facebook and Instagram channels and via our live GPS tracking system which is available on the homepage. 

Be warned, if you are working tomorrow, watching the dots move around the map in real-time is likely to put a big dent in your productivity.