Setting The Pace for Welfare Warriors
Four brave runners will be traversing the streets of London in March and they will be doing it in aid of Wild Welfare. Not only have they courageously signed up to this challenge event but they are working hard to raise money for Wild Welfare at the same time. Like the rest of the Wild Welfare team, they are hoping to ensure that all zoos are good zoos.
The Vitality Big Half Marathon is a total of 13.1 miles and takes place on the 1st of March. Situated in London, the course starts at Tower Bridge and finishes at the iconic Cutty Sark. The runners will be following in the footsteps of Mo Farah who won the event in 2019 and is set to race again in this year’s event.
Our runners are very passionate about animal welfare, with some of them having studied courses in zoology or veterinary medicine in the past. Brittney Goodwin, and Karl Hoenecke, two runners originally from the United States, claim that zoos have inspired them in their careers.
Brittney Goodwin, challenge event participant, said: “We are very passionate about zoological medicine and love the message and work Wild Welfare is doing. We feel such a personal connection with the charity.”
All our runners have been working hard to train for the half marathon. Some have been running but others have been taking on other sports such as yoga and climbing in order to get fit.
Fitting in training for the run has been a struggle for some of the participants due to their busy schedules. However they are all determined to continue and some of them have even decided to add an extra challenge to the run itself. Brittney and Karl will be wearing wild animal themed onesies during the event!
Our first charity run event happened in autumn 2019 and managed to raise £1,302 in donations. The money raised from challenge events like this will help support Wild Welfare in our mission to end captive wild animal suffering through supporting facilities which are improving animal welfare around the world.
“It breaks my heart to see animals stressed in captivity,” said Nikki Bhatia, a Wild Welfare runner. Nikki is supportive of the vital work undertaken by Wild Welfare because she understands that animal welfare situations can be improved through appropriate management and staff training.
Victoria Fanthorpe, Fundraising Manager for Wild Welfare, said: “We are delighted that these dedicated runners are willing to support our work by taking on this challenge.
We look forward to cheering them on through the finish line. They passionately believe in the work that we do and it’s wonderful to see their commitment to the cause.”
If you want to support any of our runners, their donation pages can be found here:
~ENDS~
Notes to Editors
For more information or interview requests please contact Wild Welfare on communications@wildwelfare.org
Wild Welfare is a global organisation committed to improving animal welfare for captive wild animals. By uniting the world’s leading zoos, zoo associations and animal welfare organisations, we build trusting partnerships that help provide long-term solutions to critical wild animal welfare issues.
Our vision is to end the suffering of captive wild animals around the world and ensure full and sustainable protection is given to all animals in human care. Find out more at www.wildwelfare.org. Registered charity in England (no.1165941).
