Meet Save the Rhino’s RAW Africa team

Kenneth Donaldson is a qualified actuary, the profession that numbers amongst its talents an ability to predict mortality. He manages two teams, both focused on various aspects of pension scheme management. With such a background, it seems both obvious and natural that he would instinctively look for opportunities to climb into a large and well-worn rhino costume and attempt to run ludicrous distances across the great deserts of the world. Indeed, the two disciplines of ultra-marathoning and pension management are so closely intertwined that very little further needs to be said on the subject. This will be Kenneth’s third attempted ultra and his knees are beginning to tell him that this is his last. Ever. Kenneth is now 40. His knees are somewhat older.

Terry Phipps is 61 and has retired from his job making furniture. Terry is a bit of an expert on long-distance endurance races, have run the Marathon of Britain (175 miles over the space of six days) four times; the Pennine 100-mile single-stage race; the Himalayan 100-mile five-stage event; and lots of other marathons and ultra marathons. Based in Cumbria most of the time these days, he’s used to the cold, which is just as well, as he wants to go to the North Pole – but naturally not the easy way. RAW Africa will be Terry’s first event in rhino costume and, having been out for a training run in central London in it, he now realises how much harder the event is going to be.

David Powell, 37, is a qualified chartered accountant but obviously has a sense of humour as RAW Africa will be his third ultra marathon event. He took up long-distance running after retiring from playing competitive rugby and looking for other challenges. David completed the Marathon des Sables in 2005 and also ran across the Atacama desert in Chile in 2006. He is very much looking forward to being part of a team this time around, as running solo is incredibly tough. Whilst he is sure, as in every long-distance event, there will be some low points, the opportunity to run across an extremely beautiful part of the world and raise money for an excellent cause with a local application in Africa was simply too good to pass up.

Stephen Robins has run many (about 10) half marathons around the UK, mostly in his native city of Glasgow. Having moved to London a few years back, in 2005 he finally fulfilled a long-held ambition to run in the London Marathon (and would thoroughly recommend this to anyone - you could even consider doing it in the famous rhino suit). He would have been happy to leave it there, but a certain colleague (Kenneth Donaldson - see above), just mentioned in passing that he thought the Atacama Crossing in Chile would be 'fun'. As soon as this idea had been planted in Stephen's very small brain (rhino-sized), he could think of little else and hence ended up taking part in the event. What a truly awesome experience it was too – the pain, the blisters, the fatigue, the horrible freeze-dried food, the altitude, the heat, the rhino costume…ah the memories. But how the memories fade. So he needs a top-up, and what more appropriate event than to take part in the RAW Africa race, in the continent where some of these noble beasts roam. A total of 278km in five days, carrying all the kit and once more relaying the rhino costume - soon those memories will be so very real again…

Oliver Tovey is 32 and is a recruiter. Oliver enjoys watching wildlife and is keen to partake in any activity to help prolong the survival of endangered species via raising money and, more importantly, human awareness. Oliver would also like extend his gratitude to the many people involved in the planning and organisation from Save the Rhino, and also to those who have been so kind and generous to donate money to Save the Rhino, making this damn-fool idea of a race all the more worthwhile, and also to his main sponsor, Fenwick Ryan Ltd, a leading IT Recruitment Company based in Fareham, Hampshire.