Lookout for rhinos charging through city
Keep your eyes peeled this weekend as you may spot a rhino stampede in the streets of Bath.
A group of four rhino lovers will be taking part in the virtual London Marathon known as ‘The 40th Race’ through the centre of Bath on Sunday (October 4).
They will be dressed in iconic rhino marathon costumes which have crossed hundreds of finish lines worldwide in the past 25 years.
The group, known as the Avon Stampede, will pass through Bath before taking the green way to Bristol covering 26.2 miles.
The four runners from Bristol comprise Flossy Carpenter and Charlotte Riley, both NHS doctors, Anna Findley, a wildlife film maker, and David Hill, events manager at Save the Rhino International.
This is not the first fundraising effort for three of the team. In September last year Charlotte, Flossie and David took part in the Forrangers Ultra, a 230km, five-day event in the Kenyan bush.
The trio met in Kenya in 2018 while working in the medical and support team for the first Forrangers Ultra and decided it would be a good idea to give it a go.
Almost one year on from the success of completing the Forrangers Ultra, and having not done very much training, the team has decided to raise funds for the animals they love.
This time they are faced with a much shorter distance so they’ve decided to up the stakes by covering the marathon distance in rhino costumes.
The handmade costumes, of which there are 16 unique versions, weigh between 6 and 8kg and unlike modern running costumes are not designed to be run in.
To take part as safely and Covid19 friendly as possible the team will walk not run and take regular breaks.
They will be supported by a small team including a paramedic friend. It is anticipated that the challenge will take 8-9 hours.