Empathy in motion saw runners and rangers run side-by-side at this year’s ‘Run For Rangers’ challenge. Together their efforts earned over R600 000 that will help support hundreds of rangers in KwaZulu-Natal!
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (25 October 2023) — An incredible display of empathy in motion saw people gather for a trail challenge like no other at the Babanango Game Reserve as the second-ever ‘Run For Rangers’ challenge got heart rates pumping.
Only in its second year, ‘Run For Rangers’ already has its place as a highlight on conservationist and ranger-respecting locals’ calendars. As the brainchild of former Hilton College pupil Harry Bailey (19), the event is also a powerful reminder of what young, selfless minds can achieve.
Against tough Big 5 terrain, the challenge saw runners and rangers run and walk side by side. Twelve rangers and seventeen official runners joined forces, including Hilton College pupils who were invited to keep the momentum of legacy.
It was an opportunity for the participants to put themselves in the rangers’ shoes in the most literal sense, which resulted in a deep sense of empathy not only for their gruelling work but also for the stretches of natural life under their watch.
Some nine participants even ran 100 km for the cause over a two-day period.
When the going got tough, spirit and solidarity came to the rescue as the running rangers sang so powerfully to raise morale, their voices echoed through the reserve.
All in all, this year’s Run For Rangers successfully raised much-needed funds that will help train and provide support to over 500 rangers in KwaZulu-Natal, to the tune of R600 000! Over and above this, it brought ranger support centre stage not just for South African rangers, but for the global ranger community.
The challenge came in partnership with Project Rhino and the Sport For Lives Movement.
As Ncedo Koyana, Director of Relationships at Sport For Lives touchingly shared, “Empathy is a concept often talked about but rarely explored deeply in our fast-paced world. Sport For Lives believes that stepping into someone else’s shoes, figuratively and sometimes quite literally, should be a way of life for all”.