OVERVIEW

Inspired by The Hardest Geezer's epic run across Africa, this October the McKechnie brothers will be taking on Run for Love Namibia to raise money for TRIBE Freedom Foundation.

TRIBE Freedom Foundation is on a mission to fight modern slavery and end human trafficking. They work by raising awareness of trafficking, supporting survivors and enabling frontline projects to prevent modern slavery.

Run for Love is a 225km five-day ultramarathon in the Namibian desert, starting at the Skeleton Coast and finishing near Mount Brandberg.

We are supporting the collective goal of raising £100,000 and have set our own joint target of £3,000.

THE CAUSE

What is Modern slavery? Modern slavery is the illegal exploitation of people for personal or commercial gain. It covers a wide range of abuses including sexual exploitation, human trafficking, domestic servitude, forced labour, criminal exploitation and organ harvesting.

Victims can be any age, gender, nationality and ethnicity. They are tricked or threatened into work and may feel unable to leave or report the crime through fear or intimidation. They may not recognise themselves as a victim.

Global events including climate change, the long-term impacts of COVID-19, regional conflicts and the rising cost of living are destabilising already fragile communities and increasing the risk of exploitation.

There are an estimated 50 million victims of slavery globally and 136,000 people living in slavery in the UK.

THE CHARITY

TRIBE Freedom Foundation was established in 2017 on behalf of the TRIBE community to raise funds to fight modern slavery and end human trafficking.

Inspired by the original Run for Love - an epic 1,000 mile journey across Eastern Europe completed by TRIBE founders, Tom, Rob and Guy, in 2013 - TRIBE Freedom Foundation have since continued their work of inspiring everyday athletes to push their own limits, increase awareness of modern slavery and end human trafficking.

All funds raised as part of TRIBE Run For Love Namibia will help create a life-changing impact for human trafficking survivors. Together with their frontline project partners, TRIBE will continue to empower greater numbers of survivors to regain their freedom with access to safe accommodation and holistic long-term care.

THE CHALLENGE

TRIBE Run for Love Namibia is the sixth edition in the Run for Love series. The five day challenge will see participants run 225km across the Namibian desert in temperatures that often exceed 35°C during the day and fall below zero at night.

Day 1: 45km

Day 2: 40km

Day 3: 25km

Day 4: 80km

Day 5: 35km

Total elevation: +1,800m

OUR MESSAGE

As men fortunate enough to have been brought up in the UK, we are well aware of the privilege life has shown us and the sense of safety we all too often take for granted. We both believe that no one should have to suffer exploitation or abuse in their daily lives and hope that by taking part in this event we can play a small part in supporting TRIBE Freedom Foundation and the incredible work it does helping those in need.

Thank you for your support and we look forward to updating you over the coming months as we train and prepare for the event.

All the best,

Felix and Mortimer