Prince William is supporting a charity from a continent that's close to his heart while in lockdown at home!
As People reports, William recorded a video to show his support for a marathon that would usually be run in Lewa in Kenya. The event— which benefits his conservation charity Tusk Trust— is taking place virtually this year because of the coronavirus.
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William talks marathon for his African charity: "This is not a race"
William's video was shared on Tusk's social media pages on June 27. In it, the royal can be seen wearing a white Abercrombie and Fitch polo shirt and sporting a tan. "I’m also about to do a run myself, as part of this virtual challenge," he explains.
“Like many of you, I’m very sad not to be able to do this run in Lewa’s beautiful surroundings — but also rather relieved to have been spared the altitude and the heat."
William then went on to say that while the event is a challenge, it's not a competition. "This is not a race, there is no stopwatch," he says. "It is our way of showing Africa’s conservation community that we’re all in this together."
William says he fears coronavirus "threatens to undo" conservation
William also acknowledged that the world's fastest marathon runner— Kenyan runner Eliud Kipchoge— was taking part in the event, praising him for his efforts. As People mentions, a Kenyan unit of rangers, staff, and armed guards headed out on the track where the marathon was intended to have been run.
On Tusk's official website, Edward Nritu, Head of Anti-Poaching, wrote a statement that echoed William's sentiments about the event. "We [may] not all be running together," Nritu said. "[But] wherever you are, we want to achieve the same objective."
William expressed his fear that coronavirus will have a devastating impact on African conservation, saying that it "threatens to undo years of conservation progress." As Tusk has shared, money raised from the event will go towards supporting those on the frontlines of wildlife conservation.
