TEAM ELEPHANT IS READY FOR THE UNITED AIRLINES NYC HALF
22 charity runners will run proudly for elephants tomorrow, taking on the 13.1 miles of the New York City Half Marathon in support of Wild Tomorrow’s mission to protect and restore habitat for endangered species! Learn more about the team and their reasons to run in our latest blog below. And if you’re in NYC please join our cheer team at Times Square!
Team members and several Ambassadors on the steps of the American Natural History Museum. Photo by our Ambassador Charles Chessler.
Wild Tomorrow’s “Team Elephant” is ready to run tomorrow, Sunday March 16th.
We are grateful and puffed with pride for our 22 charity runners! They each raised a minimum of $1,000 to help conserve wildlife and regenerate wild places in Southern Africa. So far, they have already raised $22,500 — an amazing achievement. Check out our team page here, and click donate in support of their run, to help them stampede to the finish line on Sunday!
This year is our biggest team so far with 22 runners in our team, running proudly with elephants on their t-shirts! Their thrilling 13.1 mile race takes them on a journey that begins in Brooklyn then across the stunning Brooklyn Bridge, along the FDR Drive, through Times Square and onto a nature-filled finish in beautiful Central Park.
Today, one million plants and animals face extinction — many in the next decade — unless we take urgent action. Our runners have dedicated their race to fighting back against this direct threat, by raising funds to help save and restore wild spaces.
This year we have 5 west-coast runners representing all the way from Seattle! Thank you Linda, Lisa, Sara and Danielle (Plus Colin).
Alexis meeting African elephants for the first time in the wild last year, a life-changing experience.
Our runner’s ‘reasons to run’ were deeply inspiring. Alexis Gogh spent three weeks last summer in Africa where she saw “herds of elephants at watering holes and spent nights under the milky way. I felt deeply connected to the beauty and fragility of the nature that is only possible because of organizations like Wild Tomorrow”. She explained that chose to run for Team Elephant as she was most inspired by our efforts to foster a love of nature and wildlife in young local children, “who will grow up with the knowledge and passion to care for the planet and the animals that depend on it. These children are the future stewards of conservation, carrying forward the legacy of protecting our environment.”
For Aerin Glover, running for Wild Tomorrow was an opportunity to combine two of my greatest passions: running and environmental conservation. “As an environmental science major in college, I’ve always been deeply committed to addressing the impacts of human degradation on our planet. Wild Tomorrow’s mission to protect wildlife and preserve natural habitats in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal region aligns perfectly with my values. By supporting their work, I can contribute to safeguarding the biodiversity that is critical to our shared future while also advocating for sustainable practices worldwide.”
Adam Cass said it so beautifully, “Joining Team Wild Tomorrow is about more than running a race; it’s about being part of a movement that safeguards wildlife and the ecosystems they depend on. I believe that every step I take and every dollar I raise can help provide resources to protect endangered species, expand reserves, and support communities living alongside wildlife. It is an honor to run for such a critical cause and to advocate for a tomorrow where humans and wildlife can thrive together.”
Go Team Elephant! Elephant-sized thank you to all of our awesome elephant-loving runners:
Cindy Safstrom, Jodi Dougherty, Jerry Kerr, Adam Cass,Joshua Gottesman, Colin Marsch, Chris Rutter, Stacie Sugarman, Aerin Glover, Alexis Gogh, Shoshanna Perchanok, Nick Zahner, JJ Noel, GianMarco Zamblera, Sara R, Sandra Vujovic, Lisa Louth, Michiko Hiranuma, Danielle Pace, Crystal Fernandez and Linda Hapgood.
We look forward to cheering them on this year as they run like cheetahs, clocking marathon miles to help save wildlife and wild spaces in southern Africa.If you’re in #NYC, join our cheer team just north of Times Square! We will be just past the M&M store on 49th street and Broadway.
To watch from the comfort of your couch, live coverage of the 2025 United Airlines NYC Half is via:
WABC-TV Channel 7 Eyewitness News (6:00 a.m.–10:00 a.m. ET): Coverage of the race, including features, interviews, and pro race look-ins. Available on ABC New York, Channel 7 in the NY Tri-State area.
Pro Race Livestream (starting at 7:00 a.m. ET): The four professional fields will be covered by a livestream, distributed domestically by ESPN+ and abc7ny.com, internationally from NYRR's digital channels, and by ESPN International (Latin America), SuperSport (Sub-Saharan Africa), and RTVE (Spain) beginning at 7:00 a.m. ET.
