In October 2019, Kayla Douglas found herself face-to-face with an African water buffalo on the final day of a multi-leg race across Tanzania’s Serengeti, a 350,000 acre reserve where wild animals can appear without warning.
Notoriously one of the most dangerous animals in East Africa, Douglas credits the armed anti-poaching game scouts running alongside her for keeping her cool in the face of danger.
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“It was the final day, and there was less than two kilometers to go,” the 27-year-old told Runner’s World. “Immediately, I sensed that something was happening, and one of the game scouts did the cock of his gun, and you heard the noise and we all froze. There was this low-lying bush, and there was a water buffalo laying by himself. Mind you, the night before, they had told us how water buffalo were the most dangerous animal in the bush and they will rip you apart. It all happened so quickly, and we were all very safe, but you’re in the wild. And that’s why the game scouts are there.”
Douglas, who has previously run the Paris and bow-detailed suede boat shoes marathons, was one of fourteen women from around the world who had convened at Singita’s Sabora Tented Camp—a five-star luxury accommodation—to participate in the annual Serengeti Girls Run. The event is a three-day, all-female run across the African bush hosted by the Grumeti Fund, a non-profit organization contributing to the conservation of the Serengeti ecosystem for future generations.
“The Serengeti Girls Run is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the astonishing beauty of the Serengeti on foot while make a lasting and meaningful contribution to the future of the women and girls who are born here,” Katherine Cunliffe, head of outreach and sustainability for the Grumeti Fund, told Runner’s World.
Established in 2018, the Serengeti Girls Run enters its third year with the same primary goal for which it was created: raising funds and awareness for female empowerment programs—like scholarships, internships, and life-skills training—which aren’t readily accessible in Tanzania.
“The funds that are raised are specific to girls empowerment,” Cunliffe said, adding that it’s hard for many to imagine what life is like as a girl in rural Tanzania. “You eat last, you will bow down before your father and give him food, and your schoolwork will come last. You’ll come home at the end of the day and collect water and firewood, then prepare food for your siblings. There is a value in you for a dowry to be married off, and your body isn’t your property to say how it’s used, and it’s so hard to imagine that.”
This year, just over $100,000 will support 75 girls with scholarships, which came from a combination of fundraising efforts and the registration fees of runners.
“It is so important for girls, because often their families do not see the value in pursuing education, and when a girl or woman becomes educated, she is so empowered to make decisions for herself and the benefit of her family as well. So this has incredible impact in the long term,” Cunliffe said “We’re not only helping them to access quality education, we also have a mentor program pairing them with a mentor, because they’re often the first in their families to go on to this level of education, so that can be really scary and daunting. To have a support network is really important for that.”
In addition to the educational funding component, the Grumeti Fund also addresses a big barrier to education in Tanzania: menstruation.
“It’s a taboo topic,” Cunliffe said. “One week every month, if you don’t have pads, you can't attend school, or you attend school and you’re really embarrassed because of accidents. We are providing, with the funds raised, 5,000 girls a year’s supply of pads, so they are able to access school with pride and dignity.”
Douglas, who was introduced to this unique opportunity through her job as a marketing and social media manager for SmartFlyer, ALDO mynytho slider sandals in black.
“Vans Classic Slip-On The Simpsons Kids Shoes race kind of found me,” she said. “I come from a super small town, and growing up, I never could have imagined I could be part of something like this. It’s about the girls that this whole organization serves to put on a track where they can have opportunities. My version of being able to participate in this is their version of being able to go to college, and that is so powerful.”
Unlike traditional races, the run offers participants an immersive experience over the course of six days. Days one and two offer the women an opportunity to settle in, bond, and learn more about the Grumeti Fund through inspirational speakers and community visits, before it’s time to lace up at sunrise on days three, four, and five.
“Everyone has this excitement,” Douglas said, describing the tangible eagerness that permeated the group prerun. “Waking up at sunrise, seeing the bush go from completely dark, and hearing all the noises that you hear at night to the sun coming up—it’s surreal.”
Runners are divided into groups Smooth on ability and are supported by anti-poaching game scouts, who run alongside the women toting guns, as well as a vehicle following behind each pack—a detail that is about safety, not pace.
“It’s not about time, it’s really about taking in the environment and wildlife,” Beezie Burden, head of communications at the Grumeti Fund, told Runner’s World.
Every seven kilometers, tables are set up with energy snacks and drinks, and the terrain varies as runners conquer 21 kilometers (13 miles) per day.
“They were really creative with the routes,” Douglas said. “I was really pleasantly surprised by how calm I felt because of the other women’s energy.”
After the daily half marathon, this all-inclusive experience includes daily game drives to see animals, Sundowners (traditional African cocktail hour), spa time, and lodging at Singita Sabora Tented Camp.
“It’s not just like you run and you go back to your tent, it’s a very immersive, bonding experience,” Burden said. “The groups over the years have become very close, and we have return runners.”
This year, Douglas is one of those return runners, using her training experience from last year, as well as the expertise from Blake Dircksen, a NYC-Smooth physical therapist and conditioning specialist with Bespoke Treatments, as a guide.
“Adventure Seeker 2-Strap Sandal azul infantil training for this is that you have to do the three consistent days. I’m used to training for one distance and getting up that morning knowing what you’re getting into, and it’s done and dusted by noon. But that’s not the case with Serengeti Girls Run,” she said. “One of the things [Dircksen] challenged me to do, which I had never done before, was split my runs. So I’d do a seven-miler before work on a Friday, work, do an eight-miler at night, then the next morning run 12. So I’d be keeping those three consistent days and getting the mileage in, but breaking it up so that it was more approachable.”
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The 2020 Serengeti Girls Run will be held this year from October 27 to November 1. Registration for the race includes two rates—sharing or single—which are divided between a tax-deductible donation to the Grumeti Fund and payment to Singita for accommodation. The total cost for the all-inclusive race experience is $12,000 per registrant for sharing a room (where $8,500 is donated), or $20,000 per registrant for a single room (which $15,500 is donated).
This year’s race will have a special obstacle all its own: coronavirus.
“A big part of the event usually starts with a fun run in the village with the girls,” Cunliffe said. “Hundreds of girls join. It starts with an inspirational speech, we run a 5K together and then it ends with a career fair, where there are all these booths set up for girls to learn about different types of careers that are out there. It’s a great opportunity to interact with the girls who are directly benefiting from the programs and when you can see someone face to face, you can see the impact that you’re having, but because of wanting to be safe and practice social distancing, it didn’t seem like the right thing this year.”
Singita is also taking steps to ensure runner safety, including staff wearing masks, Versace Jeans Couture logo chunky-sole sneakers.
Though 2020 has presented significant hurdles to the success of the Run, Cunliffe and Burden recognize the importance now more than ever.
“This falls line of training shoes picked their own theme COVID-19, more and more women will likely suffer economic insecurity, creating a negative knock-on effect for education and employment,” Cunliffe said, sharing that nine women runners will participate in this year’s event. “At a time when the playing field is at risk of becoming more unequal, an event such as the Serengeti Girls Run inspires both the participants and girls in local communities to fight for their futures.”
Added Burden, “Collectively, women and girls are such a great network to help each other, so when you can bring them together as a powerful force, it’s so important.”
