Miles for mammals

Grant Murphy, Kings Camp Assistant Manager and Head Guide, will be running an ultra-marathon within the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve on 14 June 2020 in order to raise funds for two worthy causes – the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve’s K9 Conservation Unit, and Umoya Khulula Wildlife Centre.

Due to Covid-19, Comrades 2020 has been cancelled, however Grant still wants to go ahead with running his 15th ultra-marathon and has decided to do so in the bush, with the wildlife for the wildlife. This is the reason ‘’Miles for Mammals’’ was born.

Grant will be doing the race on the same day of the Comrades, starting at the same time and the same distance of 90,2km (56 miles) in the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve.

All donations will be channelled directly to these two special causes that Grant has personally chosen.

In the 15 years since he started running in the bush Grant has had some  memorable, sometimes hair-raising encounters!

In April this year, Grant came across two young elephant bulls play-fighting in the road, and not wanting to be part of the tussle he detoured, and his new route had a herd of impalas, that began to alarm call which he found odd as they don’t normally alarm call at him running. He stopped to investigate and found a male leopard suffocating an impala! Grant stayed low to the ground and watched quietly until the leopard finished killing it and then dragged it to a nearby tree to be eaten.

Recently he was also heading out on a run for speed training at sunrise, he headed out to the straightest, flattest section he could find. On approach to the area he looked ahead and not far in the distance was the unmistakable shape of a large male lion walking towards him, head down. Grant watched him for a short while admiring his graceful stride and then decided to rather start his speed training in the opposite direction. 

On another day he set off for a run from the lodge only to be joined by a pack of African wild dogs and he found himself running with the pack for a short while until they changed gears and left him in their tracks. 

Want to donate – get in touch. +27 (0)67 285 2015 info@clickndonate.com