Support Virunga’s Marathon Challenge for 2018

This year, Virunga National Park is returning to the Virgin London Marathon!

You may remember this time last year, when Emmanuel de Merode announced his plans to run the Virgin Money London Marathon. After weeks of tireless training and unbelievable generosity from the park’s supporters, we raised an amazing amount to support Virunga National Park. This year, we are back again, and one of the park’s extraordinary female rangers, Angèle, will be taking on the challenge.

“My name is Angèle, and I am 25. I have been a park ranger since 2014, and now work as an assistant instructor in Ishango, helping recruits through their training. I became a ranger because I love Virunga, and wanted to inspire other women to try to become rangers. That is why I am running the London Marathon this year, to represent Virunga and its unique beauty, and support my brave colleagues”.

“I wanted to challenge myself – running a marathon in London is something I never thought I would do. I have been practising running in my boots, so it will be nice to have some trainers for the first time! I hope I can make my colleagues proud and represent Virunga, and help to raise awareness of the work being done to protect the national park.”

Funds raised from this year’s marathon will go towards the park’s key programmes, such as ranger training, wildlife protection, and working for a safe and sustainable future for Virunga.