Save the Rhino is lucky to have its largest ever London marathon team running on Sunday 22 April. Come rain or shine, we have 71 runners gracing the capital’s streets, including 15 team members who are undertaking the ultimate marathon challenge and running in our famous rhino suits. If you are in London be sure to join the crowds and give a big cheer for the rhino runners.
The Save the Rhino team has spent months preparing for the marathon, with plenty of training and fantastic fundraising efforts. They have raised huge sums of money for rhino conservation by gaining sponsorship and holding fundraising events.
Thank you for everyone who is running for us this year; we will be waiting for you at the finish with a picnic and a well deserved massage!
Good luck to all Save the Rhino runners!
well done you all did really well !!!!!!!!!! xx
Hongera from your friends in Kenya…we raised a cold Tusker to Team Rhino yesterday…may have to again tonight too!
Congratulations Cathy and all the amazing rhinos running the marathon yesterday! I did my first race yesterday too and am also delighted to have beaten the 5 hour mark. I saw many rhinos on the route and am in total awe of anyone who can run so well wearing one of your famous rhino suits. Great effort to all of you and keep up the good work! Lynsey
I am chuffed to bits at having beaten my 5 hour target, on my fifth attempt – ridiculous not to have done it before but lovely finally to have cracked it. For non-Londoners: the day was absolutely gorgeous. The weather forecast had threatened rain at 1pm and then again at 3pm, but it held off until about 3.30pm, just as I got to the rhino rug in St James’s Park. Before then it was heavenly – sunny, cool in the shade and surprisingly hot in the sun, so there were enormous crowds of spectators along every bit of the route – there might have been a 2-metre patch around mile 20 that wasn’t occupied but otherwise it was lined with hundreds of thousands of people cheering us along. I saw quite a few rhino cozzies and rhino runners along the way – Rhino Vinnie zoomed past me at about mile 4 – and loved being part of our team. Apologies to Steph, who I think I glimpsed at Southwark Bridge – and I missed Kenneth entirely at Parliament Square – so many people were shouting my name to encourage me on, it was impossible to recognise any familiar voices. (And to be honest, I was quite out of it – there was a 3-mile section when all I could think about was the sensation of my hair bouncing on the top of my head – very odd, and I did wonder whether I should have taken that Ibuprofen before the race.) I ran well until mile 17 (I did the half-marathon in 2:16 something) and then had to alternate walking and running from then on, but was confident having got that far in the time that I’d make the 5-hour mark so enjoyed even the painful bits. And turning the corner round the Palace and seeing the finish line was fantastic – couldn’t stop smiling, so I will wait for the finish line photo from the official marathon people and see if I look happy in that too. The Save the Rhino team and volunteers did a brilliant job of looking after all of us, so thank you to all of them too. It was a totally magic day, absolutely wonderful. Many, many thanks to everyone for the support – it means so much.