Limbe Wildlife Centre

Category: Cameroon | Date: Mar 05 2009 | By: limbewildlifecentre

We received a detailed report about the ‘Race of Hope’ from the runners themselves, with some great pictures and an impression of the Limbe Wildlife Centre at the end of it. We would like to share it with all of you:

“After much preparation both physically and logistically, we competed in the Mt. Cameroon Race for Hope on February 21st. A group of 6 made the trip to Buea, Cameroon and four of us joined the 500+ runners on the mountain on the day of the race.

In typical West African fashion, the lack of organization of the event resulted in significant headaches in the weeks, days, and even minutes leading up to the race. But, after 3 weeks of daily emails and phone calls, hiring a Cameroonian to negotiate with the authorities in our absence, and completing a series of oddly “thorough” medical examinations, our registration was complete 10 minutes before the race… just in time for a few interviews with local reporters.

The whole of the Buea town population seemed to be out to see off the runners. The initial 7km of the course was lined with thousands of residents cheering us on and offering smiles, encouragement, and the occasional “Le Blanc! Le Blanc!” to let us know that we were welcome on their mountain.

The mountain proved to be as challenging as expected with highly variable weather conditions and some of the most treacherous terrain imaginable. It was inspiring to watch the local runners literally fly down the mountain as we ascended through some of the most challenging phases. It is safe to say that the local racers are some of the most well-tuned athletes in all the world.

To the amazement of all of us, Keith made it to the summit at 13,500 ft and back down, completing the race in under 10 hours. It is truly a remarkable achievement best conveyed by his first words after completing the race: “I’m never setting foot on that #&%ing mountain again.”

With a tricky decent to make and the promise of post-race celebration, Doug opted to turn around after 4 hours, reaching the camp at 10,000 ft, and ultimately spent over 7 hours on the mountain. Our other two participants, Nigel and Amir, got a taste of the slope above tree-line at about mid-day, but were soon turned around by the race authorities who didn’t want to spend their evening guiding the lost “Blancs” through the rain forest.

The event was deemed a tremendous success by all with everybody safely making it off the mountain.The day after the race, we had the opportunity to visit the Limbe Wildlife Centre to enjoy the warm hospitality of the staff. It was definitely a mix of emotions as we were able to watch the rescued animals and hear about the LWC’s plans for the future, but at the same time see the horrors of the bush meat trade and its impact on both the endangered animals and the region. We were particularly taken by a group of young orphaned chimpanzees and an orphaned baby gorilla. It was amazing to look into their inquisitive eyes and watch them interact with each other and their environment.

The response from our first mailing has been tremendous. We want to thank those who have contributed to this cause, the folks at the Limbe Wildlife Centre wanted us to extend their appreciation. Please note that we will continue to accept donations for the race until March 15th. The site is open year round if anybody would like to make further donations to Limbe Wildlife Center. Look out for a series called “Going Ape 2”on Animal Planet, which focuses on the work of the LWC and other similar centers in Cameroon.”

Sincerely,
Keith Norman
Doug Gratwick