Summary
Description
Hello fellow running addicts!
My name is Nell English, I am a Zimbabwean-Irish woman, 27 years old, currently working as a Rickshaw rider in Barcelona. I am a bit of an adrenaline junkie, and have decided to run 1000km from border to border in my native country of Zimbabwe, over the month of February 2017.
I know I can do it, I already ran 724km earlier this year (in April) from the capital city of Zimbabwe, Harare, to Victoria Falls on the border with Zambia. Here are the links should you wish to see it:
https://www.gofundme.com/cdrn78kk
https://nellieenglish.wordpress.com
https://www.instagram.com/ambessarun/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/AmbessaRUN
For this I chose to run for the mental health charity ZIMNAMH (Zimbabwe National Association for Mental Health) and I exceeded by target of 1000 dollars, raising in the end nearly 80000 dollars.
This time I want to run in support of conservation of the country. Zimbabwe has a large number of national parks, supports a diverse variety of species, and has been at the centre of international media in recent years over illegal poaching. I will be running through extremely different parts of the country (a more detailed itinerary is below this email) and documenting every trainer step of the way, as we will be making a documentary on hunting (legal hunting of animals in overpopulation) and to what extend it aids or abets conversation, impacts on local communities, and ideally, to leave the film on a balanced ambiguous note.
My pitch is this, if you are interested in being involved in the project in any way, in return for your sponsorship I am happy to advertise your products in my blog, feature you in the documentary, you can be involved in any way you like.
From a running perspective, the challenges will range from danger of crossing paths with wildlife such as lions straying from national parks, difficult running terrain, and camping off the road in the bush. This could be interesting footage if you want to be a part of it. I will be running from the north of the country, near Kariba, one of Africa's largest man made lakes, below Mana Pools which hosts the most wildlife in the country including all the 'Big Five' species (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo), through the capital city Harare and then through the Eastern Highlands, the tea-growing region famous for it's beaufiul mountains, pine-tree forests and lakes, and ending in the south of the country, between the border town Beitbridge and an area called Gonarezhou, (meaning area of the elephants, the hottest and driest part of the country but also an area of stunning beauty).
From a charity perspective, I will be raising funds and awareness for conservation charities in Zimbabwe; Twala Trust which rescues abandoned wild animals and operates as a sanctuary for those unable to be released back into the wild, and the SPCA, (the Society for the Protection and Care of Animals) all over Zimbabwe, the latter of which is in such dire financial straits they are on the verge of having to shut down altogether.
If you are interested in collaborating in any way and being a part of this exciting project and a very worthy cause, please get in touch!
Thank you J
Nell English
Our preferred sponsor
If you sponsor me, I will advertise your products or company in my blog, instagram and social media accounts, and feature you in my documentary.
Reach / Links
Greatest successes
April 2016: I ran 724km across Zimbabwe, the first person to do so in the country. I ran this in 15 days, therefore running on average more than one marathon per day. It was through dangerous parts of the country, and i ran alone with one support vehicle and driver, and we were camping in national parks. I ran to raise money and awareness for ZIMNAMH, a mental health charity, and raised nearly $8,000.
June 2016: I climbed Pico Aneto, the highest moutain in the Spanish Pyrenees.
May 2016: I walked with one friend, from the town of George until the town of Plettenburb Bay in South Africa, a total of nearly 100km, in three days
2015: I spent two weeks hiking around the Simian Mountains in Ethiopia.
2014: Barcelona Marathon
2013: I climbed Mulhacen, the highest mountain on mainland Spain.
From childhood onwards, I have won swimming competitions, show jumping and dressage horse competitions, and also performed piano concerts, acted in plays, showed my work in art competitions, and am now working as Barcelona's only female rickshaw rider.