A unique weeklong running & service learning experience combining community development work and a local marathon! Recently featured in Epic Runs of the World (Lonely Planet) and The Sunday Times, Kershaw created the Impact Marathon Series from his experience in development finance and adventure marathon organizing. It is about unleashing the power of running to change the world, and making an impact through the combination of knowledge building, running and volunteering on a community-based project in Nepal, Malawi, Kenya, Guatemala and Jordan. One exciting aspect of our talk is hearing about applying the UN Global Development Goals on a grassroots level and being a part of the solution along with (rather than apart from) communities in these countries.
Nick and all the the organizers rely on local hosts’ expertise proven over past weeklong projects, and their experience in running event organizing & cultural learning. The culmination of the week is a marathon or half marathon following an iconic race course, for example in the foothills of the Himalayas in Nepal, or experiencing the desert and historic ruins in Jordan. Kenya, Malawi and Guatemala all weave through terrain that one may never experience elsewhere. Each Saturday local runners join the ~50 program participants to put the total number of participants at 200-300, allowing for a much more personal experience than big international marathons.
However, Nick tells us that by far the most important part of the program is the impact that the runners have on those communities, in terms of empowerment and building connection / understanding between people. Nick explains that runners will bring back firsthand experience into some of the most challenging global problems, such as water shortages, climate change and permaculture helping to reform landscapes!
Their website: www.impactmarathon.com
Our blogsite: www.runninganthropologist.com has notes and links from this episode and all past ones, and you can also message/follow us on Instagram or Facebook @runninganthropologist
