Ice Marathon
Here’s a message from Inspired Leaders Network alumni Errol Damelin, founder and CEO of Wonga, who needs your help to raise $100,000 for charity: water.
I’m trying to raise $100,000 to provide clean water for 5,000 people – by running a marathon in the Antarctic.
At the end of this month, I’ll be attempting the Antarctic Ice Marathon, near the South Pole in one of the world’s driest and most inhospitable environments. The event comprises 26.2 miles of treacherous snow and ice at an altitude of around 3,000 ft. I’ll be running in sub-zero temperatures on an active glacier, not to mention the potential bone chilling Katabatic winds that can bring the windchill temperature to -30C. Only 100 people have ever completed this mammoth event and this year is especially significant as it marks the 100 year anniversary of a person first reaching the South Pole.
Why? Every year people in Africa spend over 40 billion hours walking to get water. Unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation cause 80% of all disease and kills more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. 90% of the 30,000 deaths that occur every week from unsafe water and unhygienic living conditions are of children under five years old. Many of these diseases are preventable. Women and children usually bear the burden of water collection, walking miles to the nearest source, keeping them from school, work and putting them at risk.
charity: water is a brilliant charity, they passionately believe that technology can make the world more efficient. Using the best of digital technology and social media they are aiming to raise $2bn in 10 years. Backed by many tech entrepreneurs, charity: water has a lean start-up mentality and has a separate operating budget. I’ve covered all my travel and event costs which means that 100% of everything raised will go straight to building water projects in the field, even the credit card fees. Then, when the projects are complete, charity: water will show us just where they are and who they’re helping (with GPS coordinates, photos and other details). We’ll be able to see the communities we’ve impacted.
Please donate here: http://mycharitywater.org/icemarathon
We’re trying to get to $100,000 so I need your help. Any amount will will help massively and will also help to motivate me in whats going to be a somewhat challenging event.