TRAIL
Running for the Rangers
It was a crazy idea – even the young man who dreamt up the idea of Run For Rangers admits that – but Harry Bailey is a determined young man , with an unquenchable spirit , and now he and his team are about to undertake the third edition of this incredible challenge . – BY SEAN FALCONER
Harry Bailey , the young man behind Run For Rangers
Just over two years ago , Harry Bailey had never run anything further than 5km . Then 18 and busy with his Matric year at Hilton College , near Pietermaritzburg , the Durban-born youngster was a good basketball player , but running had never been his forte – not surprising , given the serious medical challenges he had faced throughout his life . But now he was attempting to run 100km over two days , and doing so in a big five nature reserve , escorted by armed rangers to prevent any unplanned ‘ meetings ’ with the local wildlife , to raise funds for a cause close to his heart . team had raised just shy of R700,000 in total , and now they are set to tackle the third edition of Run For Rangers on the last weekend of July this year . However , as impressive as the fundraising aspect of this challenge is , even more impressive is Harry ’ s own story of challenging himself physically to make such a positive contribution to help others .
The idea behind that 2022 Run For Rangers was to raise R50,000 to support and uplift game rangers in South Africa . These rangers are on the front line of wildlife conservation , risking their lives every day to protect endangered species , such as the rhino being poached for their horns . The idea was for Harry to run 100km over two days in the Thanda Game Reserve , with fellow runners if possible , and get family , friends and supporters of conservation to pledge donations in support of the run .
However , that initial fundraising target soon went out the proverbial window , as Harry explains . “ When we reached R100,000 before the run actually happened , we said , okay , let ’ s push the target to R150,000 , because we had momentum now , and then it went even further than that . I was blown away when I saw we had reached R162,000 , and I ’ m still in awe about the fact that people were so willing to give to this cause .”
By the time the second event in 2023 had been run , this time through the Babanango Nature Reserve , the
Harry and fellow runners during the first Run For Rangers in 2022
Images : Courtesy Run For Rangers , Harry Bailey
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