Last month, hello!’s social editor-at-large, the Marchioness of Bath, flew to Kenya with her family – her husband, Ceawlin, the Marquess of Bath, and their sons, John, ten, and eight-year-old Henry – to take part in the annual Lewa Safari Marathon for the Tusk charity, of which she is an ambassador.
Battling with an old hip injury meant it was a challenge even before she landed in Nairobi. Here, she recounts her running journey and what an unforgettable, incredible trip it was for them...
I am so proud to be an ambassador for Tusk, which together with its royal patron, the Prince of Wales, has been supporting successful conservation work in Africa since the 1990s.
Longleat, our family home in Wiltshire, which features a safari park, has supported the charity for more than 20 years, and it was wonderful to meet Prince William at the Tusk awards in London last November with my husband Ceawlin and our good friends Ronnie and Sally Wood.
The prince spoke so passionately about the rangers and the inspiring achievements made by the Tusk team, and it was a pleasure to chat with him about the various conservation projects we are doing at Longleat, such as our IVF programme to save the northern white rhino from extinction, and our ongoing partnership with this incredible charity.
Tusk truly is a part of life at Longleat. Every autumn, we give a talk on conservation to schoolchildren with Longleat keepers, who usually bring along a tarantula and snake, much to the delight of the audience. During half term, we had the incredible naturalist Steve Backshall doing live shows with some great animals making cameos with him, including a Southeast Asian binturong, or bear cat – and all proceeds went to Tusk.
In our garden we have Precious, an enormous pink gorilla decorated with rhinestones that Sally Wood designed for the last Tusk auction. Ceawlin and I bid on it – and won!
MEMORIES TO TREASURE
The run itself was a part of a much bigger trip, and something which I was determined to bring the children along to, too. After flying to Nairobi, we took a small plane for the 140-mile flight to the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, where we stayed for three nights at the beautiful Lewa House.
The boys embraced every moment, and even though they live in a safari park they were so thrilled to see lions, rhino, zebra and hyenas in their natural habitat. Our kind and knowledgeable Masai guide, Joseph, made sure we were always in the right place for the best animal sightings.
It’s at Lewa that Tusk works to protect such species as the critically endangered black rhino and educate surrounding areas as to the importance of wildlife. We visited a school which now has 700 students, and a farm whose fruit is raided by naughty monkeys.
Charlie Mayhew, the founder of Tusk, also took us to a water project which provides clean, safe drinking water for a community of 5,000, built as a result of funds raised by Tusk and the marathon. Once a barren space, it is now beautiful: a vision recreating Middle Earth.
It filled me with emotion to be there and to take part in something that is so important for future generations. I felt like a small part of something that’s so massive and joyful and positive. Now, the vegetation, any endangered species, the community and surrounding areas are thriving thanks to the incredible hard work of those who are involved with Tusk.
RUNNING FOR GOOD
I was inspired to take on the run after the singer Jack Savoretti and his wife, the artist Jemma Powell, did it last year and were so enthusiastic about it. Any run is hard but this is particularly challenging: the altitude is high, the temperature high and the terrain is difficult – and, given that it takes place on the conservancy, you could be running past wild animals.
Runners can choose between 10km, 20km and 42km distances over the rugged terrain of the conservancy – children can sign up for a 5km. Originally, I had signed up for the 20km run, but I have a weak left hip and it became more inflamed as training progressed. In the end, the 10km was the more sensible and responsible choice – still difficult, yet hopefully not too dangerous.
Preparing for it had been a challenge in itself but luckily we have a lot of hills down in Wiltshire and I was able to practise on those. After a lot of painstaking physio and patience, I was able to get strong enough to take on the run.
On my first day in Lewa, I had an acclimatisation run to get used to the altitude, before joining a safety briefing on how to navigate the terrain. On run day itself we woke early, when it was still dark and cold, and made our way to the track together with the 1,400 other runners who were taking on the challenge. I felt excited about what lay before me; the briefing advised us to look up when running because the landscape is so stunning.
With no physical barriers between us and the wildlife, which also includes buffalo and leopards, rangers and hovering helicopters kept us safe as we jogged through the sunrise and into the heat of the day. I had a chat with some adorable monkeys on my way, and the encouragement from the spectators kept everyone going. Crossing the finish line was such a relief and gave me a sense of joy that didn’t wear off for days.
We had a celebration with the Lewa community after the race, which felt like a festival. The event is one of the biggest days of the year there, so everyone comes out to celebrate. That evening there was a beautiful dinner followed by more dancing and great singing performances.
It was a magical experience and I hope we’ll be back soon: John wants to sign up for the 5km run next year, so watch this space!
