2020 Lewa safari marathon cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic

The 2020 edition of the Lewa Safari Marathon has been canceled as Kenya and the rest of the world grapples with the rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year’s edition, powered by Huawei and Safaricom PLC was slated for 27th June 2020 allowing participants from all over the globe to compete whilst running through one of Africa’s most breath-taking conservancies.

“Hosting a race in a wildlife conservancy comes with a unique set of challenges. For the past 20 years, we have worked to mitigate these challenges and offer all 1400 of our annual runners what we hope is an optimum running experience. Having all of you at Lewa has always been the highlight of our year. Despite our great willingness to push on, having weighed all factors, we have come to the very difficult decision to cancel this year’s race,” said the CEO of Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Mr. Mike Watson.

On March 25, the Kenyan Government announced 28 cases of COVID19 within the country and banned all international flights effective 25 March.

A significant number of the marathoners, whose contributions are key to the success of the event, are overseas runners from the UK and the USA. In light of the new travel restrictions and severity of situation, they will be unable to participate.

The Government has also issued a public declaration advising Kenyans to avoid all non- essential public gatherings.

“While we’re sure all efforts are being made by the Kenyan government to contain the spread of the virus, it is paramount we heed the presidential directive to avoid all non-essential public gatherings and play our part in flattening the curve until all of this is behind us,” Mr. Watson added.

Mr. Charlie Mayhew Tusk CEO said the importance of the Lewa Safari Marathon to Tusk’s operations in Kenya cannot be overstated.

“It is our flagship fundraising initiative and undoubtedly a highlight of the Tusk calendar for the hundreds of international runners we host every year at the event. This event regularly generates over $500,000 (KES 50,000,000) for numerous conservation, education and community projects across Kenya, so its cancellation this year is a massive blow. However, the safety of runners, supporters and local communities amid this global crisis is paramount. We will return next year, stronger than ever and meanwhile we are committed to continue supporting our partner projects as best we can," he said.