Wild Tomorrow is excited for our team of 15 charity runners ready to run this year’s United Airlines NYC Half! Read our “Team Elephant” runners’ inspiring, heartfelt reasons they decided to dedicate their run and fundraising efforts to the protection of elephants and other threatened African wildlife. Let’s support their stampede thru the streets of Brooklyn and Manhattan this Sunday, clocking marathon miles to help save wildlife and wild spaces in southern Africa.

*African elephant in motion leaving a water hole. Photo Credit: Simone Sbaraglia/Wildscreen Exchange*

Wild Tomorrow Fund’s “Team Elephant” is ready to run this Sunday morning, March 17th! We are excited to be an official charity partner again this year in NYRR’s United NYC Half marathon. It’s our 5th year as a charity partner in this very special running event. Our 15 runners will join over 25,000 people in the only NYC race to close down Times Square for the morning!

As an official charity runner in the race, each team member must raise a minimum of $1,000 to help us protect wildlife and wild places in southern Africa. Together, our awesome United NYC Half Team Elephant runners have already raised an amazing $17,900 (and climbing!). You can thank them for their half marathon efforts by donating below.

DONATE TO TEAM ELEPHANT

Today, 1 million plants and animals face extinction, many in the next decade unless we take urgent action. Our wildlife-loving runners have dedicated their run to personally fighting back against the loss of our planet’s precious wildlife and wild places in southern Africa. Here are their reasons to run for wildlife and wild places.

For Taran, running for Team Elephant is a chance to give back to protect the wildlife and wild places of his birth country, South Africa. Taran first crossed paths with Wild Tomorrow in the bush while volunteering at neighboring Phinda Private Game Reserve. While in the field he met Axel Hunnicutt our co-founder, who at the time was working as our field ecologist, running a research program on hyena and human-wildlife conflict. “Axel’s impactful fieldwork left a lasting impression” said Taran, “inspiring my commitment to conservation”. While Taran currently works in the IT sector, his heart is firmly set on helping to protect wildlife and finding a pathway to a career in conservation. “My heart is set on contributing to wildlife preservation” explains Taran. “The NYC United Half Marathon is a symbolic step towards pursuing my passion — safeguarding the natural world for generations to come”. Good luck and thank you Taran — we know your dedication will carry you onwards to continuing conservation impact!

*Stephanie’s dog Fredo has been a regular companion on her runs, and big supporter of his Mum’s runs! He even helped her pick up her bib!* *@therunningaussie*

Australian-born runner Stephanie aka @therunningaussie has loved animals and nature since her childhood growing up on a farm. It was after a visit to South Africa in 2019 that her love for elephants was cemented, after seeing them in the wild. Her motivation to run for our team was explained in two simple sentences: “I love all animals. Especially elephants”. She was the first out of the gate to start fundraising before the new year, and hit her $1000 goal over a month ago! She’s determined and dedicated, and we’re delighted to have her join our team, running each mile for health, fitness, and elephants and wildlife who need a boost.

Jodi is no newbie when it comes to the NYC Half. This year will be her 19th time running her favorite race which she runs every year! When she didn’t get into the lottery, she looked for an animal-focused charity to support, and lucky for us, she found Wild Tomorrow! Jodi has dedicated her life to helping animals and founded a small non-profit, Running for Rescues, that supports dog and cat rescues and shelters by raising funds for veterinary bills. This year we are excited to see her run past in her elephant team tee! Thank you Jodi for your efforts for all animals - from cats and dogs to African elephants.

“Living in NYC, it can feel hard to do our part for conservation. Contributing to Wild Tomorrow’s cause is an amazing way to reconnect with the earth”, says Mini, a NYC-based runner joining our team this year. Nature conservation has always been top of mind for Mini and her family. She grew up inspired by the actions of her amazing Mom who was able to permanently protect land near their countryside farm by establishing an environmental trust. Mimi is excited to run for Wild Tomorrow, helping to protect habitat this time in South Africa. Our Greater Ukuwela Nature reserve was declared officially as a protected area in 2019, protected in perpetuity at the same legal level as a national park. Thank you Mini for dedicating your run and fundraising efforts to help us save and restore habitat to safeguard a critical wildlife corridor for elephants and other threatened species.

Jordan has an extra special reason to run for elephants. “Elephants have stolen my heart not just for their beauty, but their communities”, she explains. “I'm a social worker and spend my professional life working to leverage community to support individuals. Much of what I admire about these animals is their instinct to do exactly what I wish humans would do. They care for each other, they take on young elephants when no one else can care for them, they respect their herd. When one of their own passes, they take the time to remember them, and they continue to do so anytime they are near the place of death. The respect and admiration they have for each other, their strength and tenacity, and their playful energy never fail to warm my heart and inspire me”. Like Jordan and many people around the world, it is a fascination for elephants that first draws them into the world of wildlife conservation. It is the love and care that elephants demonstrate for their family that pulls at our heartstrings and implores us to work harder to fight for their protection. “I’ve often said if that if I had to choose something else to do with my life, I would work with wildlife. We are facing an extinction crisis that will severely impact global biodiversity as well as communities dependent on related ecosystems. Wild Tomorrow not only works toward wildlife conservation; they also make a concerted effort to protect communities surrounding protected wild spaces”. Thank you Jordan!

Like Jordan, Paige is also an elephant-lover. She wanted to run for elephants specifically after having the chance to visit the Sheldrick Orphanage outside of Nairobi, Kenya. “Seeing, being able to touch, and feeling those incredible beings was a life changing experience for me. Their power and empathy is palpable, yet they are kind and gentle. We must protect their beauty and sanctity!”.

*Paige’s unforgettable moment meeting an elephant orphan at the Sheldrick Orphanage.*

Ana, a sixteen year old high school student at Grace Church School in Manhattan, is truly a young wildlife hero. She told us she’s always had a love for animals since she was little. She did a great job communicating our mission to her supporters, “Due to the impact of humans and climate change, habitat restoration and the rewilding of reserves are very important to prevent more damage to the environment and animal endangerment”. Ana created and currently leads the “Wildlife Warriors” club at her school, encouraging her peers to collaborate to help nature and wildlife around the world by volunteering, fundraising and raising awareness of conservation issues. We love that Ana is getting active as part of Team Elephant this year, running 13.1 miles across Brooklyn and Manhattan to help the animals she loves! She’s raised over $1,175 so far for Wild Tomorrow. Well done, Ana!

Colin learnt saw first-hand the devastating impact of deforestation and habitat loss during a recent trip to Brazil. He understood the importance of our mission immediately: the urgent need to expand habitats in vulnerable wild areas to stem the tide of extinction. “Your work sparks hope for a more sustainable future, where wildlife can thrive in diverse ecosystems”, said Colin. He felt it was important to run for our team, as a way to personally invest in the long-term health of our planet and “the wildlife that makes it such a beautiful, extraordinary place. My hope is that the funds I raise and the attention I draw to this cause make a real difference in the fight to protect and sustain the biodiversity of our world”.

Ethan has also loved being around animals ever since childhood. Getting outdoors in nature has helped him to maintain this connection. Through numerous hiking and backpacking trips he understood how important it is to maintain ecosystems and allow animals to flourish. A perfect match for our mission - running to save wild spaces.

For Kelly it was his love for horse riding that led to a life-changing horse safari in Botswana and South Africa. While on safari, Kelly spent a great deal of time with local rangers and saw first-hand their challenges and valiant efforts to protect and conserve wildlife and habitats. He’s excited to continue to support these efforts as part of Team Elephant in the United NYC Half.

We have both a wildlife biologist and a marine biologist running on the team this year! Mimi is currently completing her master's in wildlife biology and conservation after previously working as a safari guide across southern Africa. It’s amazing she’s able to combine these two passions. Brittany studied biology in undergrad and completed a marine biology course at the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology. “One thing I’ve learned is the importance an ecosystem carries and the harm an extinct or displaced species can have on that ecosystem”, noted Brittany in her reasons to run. “It’s a chance to raise money and spread awareness on a muted but relevant topic that should be talked about more!”. Thank you to our two scientist-runners, Mimi and Brittany.

Kimberly is an animal advocate, using her voice to speak up for animals locally. She was excited to join the team to broaden her advocacy efforts to include international wildlife conservation. She used her voice and her fundraising page to share details of her run and our mission with schools, family, and within the legal community.

We also have Matthew who says he’s a slow poke but we’re sure he’ll channel his inner-cheetah tomorrow!

Last but not least, Ariel, a nature enthusiast whose “love for animals and their habitats is immense”, making Team Elephant his perfect partner charity choice for the half marathon. It was the 2015 documentary Racing Extinction that really shone a light for Ariel on the crisis facing animals, biodiversity, and their habitats. “Witnessing the distressing realities faced by our marine wildlife has left a profound impact on me. Our planet is facing an extinction crisis, with 1 million species on the edge.”

THANK YOU TO OUR 2024 UNITED HALF MARATHON RUNNERS!

We are deeply proud and deeply grateful that our team of amazing runners decided to dedicate their race to saving wildlife and spreading the word about our mission. Help us to cheer them on this Sunday, March 17th, as they run like cheetahs through the streets of Brooklyn and Manhattan, clocking 13.1 miles to help save wildlife and wild spaces in southern Africa.

#runfortheirlives #wildtomorrow #UnitedNYCHalf #NYCHalf #wildtomorrow

“Did you know that every minute, an area of forest equivalent to 35 football fields is lost, and every hour, about 1 species disappears forever?

This staggering loss of biodiversity threatens the delicate balance of life on Earth and puts endangered species at risk of extinction.”

— Ariel Goldman, 2024 Team Elephant Runner

TEAM ELEPHANT IS READY TO RUN THE 2024 UNITED NYC HALF!