Marathon effort to highlight water crisis
Ultra-runner puts her best foot forward, despite leg injury, to highlight the effects of the world running dry
WATER advocate and ultra-runner Mina Guli has arrived in South Africa as part of her campaign #RunningDry 100 Marathons in 100 Days to highlight the global water crisis.
In an unexpected turn of events and after some ongoing pain in her right leg, Guli walked herself to a doctor’s appointment and subsequent MRI scan, where it was discovered that she has sustained a stress fracture to her right femur.
While this would cause most people to sit back and put their feet up, Guli has decided to continue her #RunningDry campaign at a slightly slower pace of a walk.
“With the current water crisis every drop counts, and now every step I take towards finishing this campaign will help highlight that.
“The world is facing a projected 40% shortfall between supply and demand for water by 2030 – just 11 short years from now. If I give up now, it’s almost like giving up on striving towards a solution to this problem and I just can’t do it,” Guli said.
So instead of being on the road for about five hours a day, Guli will now be on her feet for about nine hours every day.
After arriving in the country, Guli headed straight to Beaufort West after hearing about their dire water situation.
“Visiting the town has been very confronting; to see the effects of living with no water… makes me even more determined to finish my #RunningDry campaign and help change the way we think about water.
“We simply cannot take water for granted, water is life, it is critical, we need to respect and value it.”
Guli started her campaign on November 4 last year at the New York Marathon and arrived in Cape Town on December 27 to start marathon number 54 on South African soil.
#RunningDry has seen her running through England, France, Italy, Uzbekistan and the Aral Sea, India, Hong Kong, China, Dubai, Jordan, Israel, Palestine and Lesotho.
After leaving South Africa on January 9, Guli will run through Australia, Chile, Bolivia, Peru and Mexico before completing her campaign running across the US to participate in her 100th marathon in New York on February 11.
“My marathons are a call to the world to join together to save water. The water we need to live, survive, is running out. We’re calling this #RunningDry because we need to drive home the severity of the crisis.
“For this reason, I have chosen to do the unthinkable: running, and now walking, 100 marathons in 100 days around the world to show what a 100% commitment to water is. We can all help solve the world’s water crisis. Each one of us is able to make a difference,” Guli said.
To follow her journey and find out how to make a difference, see www. minaguli.com, Facebook @MinaGuliWater, Twitter @MinaGuli and Instagram @minaguli
Every drop counts, and now every step that I take towards finishing the #RunningDry campaign will help highlight that
Mina Guli
Water activist and ultra-runner