Anna Nicholas is preparing to take on her tenth marathon, and this time around she’s going all out by taking on the gruelling Big Five Marathon in South Africa! 

Anna is a member of the Draycott Carol Service Committee and has provided her support in our annual carol service for the past 3 years.

So when it came to choosing a cause close to her heart as she does every year when running a marathon, she opted to support our mission to transform lives! She is also supporting a project in Bolivia to rebuild a school.

“It has been wonderful getting to know some of those incredible individuals who have benefited from your excellent charity and of course the adorable hero dogs,” says Anna.

So how did Anna get into marathon running in the first place?

“As an author and journalist, I spend many days hunched over the computer and when I began to suffer from a chronic lower back problem I decided to do something positive so I started running marathons for charity,” says Anna.

But The Big Five Marathon is her toughest challenge yet.

The Big Five Marathon is held on 22 June on a private reserve called Entebani, around 4 and a half hours from Johannesburg. There will be around 300 runners participating, and the 42km course involves rough running in hot conditions in high altitude – to say it will be gruelling is an understatement!

The course also includes a mountain of deep sand, and runners will be racing passed the Big Five animals – African elephants, Black rhinoceros, African buffalos, lions and African leopards, as well as a host of other wildlife native to the area.

“I have never done such a tough run so I really hope I make it to the finish. Certainly, I will do my utmost to finish the course providing I’m not eaten on the way!” says Anna.

Sponsor Anna’s The Big Five Marathon Challenge

Want to support Anna’s incredible challenge? Donate via JustGiving.

Would you like to take on a challenge for Canine Partners?

Find out more about taking on a challenge so that we can train more amazing dogs to transform the lives of people with physical disabilities.