To save Africa's beautiful wildlife: The Rhino Run in Port Elizabeth

Lolomiina: 16.11.2018

After another long break, I'm back! The last few weeks of my stay in South Africa have been passing slowly and there was still a lot to organize. But now I want to tell you about the past few weeks that I have ignored so far.

The exciting and exhausting days of the Ironman race had drained my energy, so I had to use the weekend to rest in Port Elizabeth. There were no major trips planned for the following weekend either. But we didn't want to just sit around in our dorm doing nothing! I found two roommates who wanted to participate in the Rhino Run in Port Elizabeth with me. This is a cross-country race that started on a farm just outside the city and followed the paths through the local forests, uphill and downhill.

There were three route options to choose from: 6 kilometers, 10 kilometers, or 21 kilometers. Another half marathon distance, but this time it involved going up and down a whole mountain! Since I have always preferred shorter distances, I opted for the shortest of the three runs and admired those who took on the challenge of the mountain.

But what makes this race so special that we wanted to participate in it besides the athletic challenge?

In addition to being a cross-country race, the Rhino Run is above all else:

A charity run held at several locations in South Africa to save the endangered rhinoceroses. After deducting all organizational fees, all proceeds are donated to four organizations dedicated to rhino conservation. While poaching for ivory from elephants has fortunately decreased in recent years, the horn of the rhinoceros is still a reason why rhinos are killed by poachers every day. Particularly indigenous peoples and tribes with ancient traditions still believe that the horn, which consists of keratin, has healing properties. Many people are not deterred from shooting even mother animals in order to obtain this material, which can be described as the rarest and most expensive drug in the world. Often, the animals are only tranquilized while their horns are removed. They usually die a few days later from the effects of this severe injury and are rarely saved by veterinarians. However, the fight against this terrible act is difficult and arduous. The procurement and trade of this rare commodity is primarily characterized by one thing: corruption. Safari rangers, who were once dedicated to protecting the animals, give poachers access to the national parks and inform them about the whereabouts of the rhinos. The police look the other way when the horn is being traded. And even politicians have been caught in the process of selling it. Despite the seemingly hopeless fight for the lives of these animals, there are many people who have made it their life's mission to save them. The Kariega Foundation, Saving the Survivors, and the other organizations have dedicated themselves to the rescue of these beautiful and impressive creatures. We felt every second that the organizer of the Rhino Run in Port Elizabeth has a heartfelt commitment to this cause. She created an environment that provided a beautiful morning for families and groups with food, live music, an auction, and a raffle, while still making everyone aware of the seriousness of the situation. When we arrived at the registration at 8am sharp, we were greeted with a smile and wished good luck for the race with a big thank you for participating.

I had never participated in a cross-country race before and wanted to take it easy for this first one. However, the number of participants, their ambition, and the great race track motivated me to want to run a little faster every second. I was even rewarded with third place among the women. I only had to admit defeat to two very strong 10-year-olds!

We had originally planned to leave directly after the race. However, the atmosphere was so relaxed and the people were really nice, so we followed the program for a few more hours and had lunch there as well.

We wanted to spend the sunny afternoon at the beach, but we didn't know which one. So we got in the car and just started driving, looking for a palm tree on a road sign, the symbol for a beach.

And what a beach we found! In Bluewater Bay, a place not far from Port Elizabeth, we came across a sandy beach that seemed endless.

We walked along the water and could have easily kept going without encountering any other landscape for ages. While strolling, we watched the many fishermen trying their luck on this hot day and climbed a few sand dunes.