Artisan Design Returns To Orbis Challenge 2019

In 2018 I took part in the Orbis Challenge alongside twenty other athletes and Dame Kelly Holmes, which inspired me to launch Artisan Design and bring Kenyan beaded running bracelets to the UK.

In October 2019, a team of thirty amateur athletes travelled to Malawi to take on the Orbis Challenge again with Dame Kelly Holmes, raising over £20,000 for Open Arms Malawi's nutrition programme, aimed at combating infant malnutrition across the region.

The challenge covered three trail events: the Mulanje Mountain Extreme Trail Run ("The Porters Race", 25km with 1,660m of elevation gain, involving bouldering and scrambling), the Zomba Plateau Forest Trail Run (20km through forest, hills and river crossings), and the flat, sandy Lake Malawi Trail Run (20km) after 50km already covered over the preceding days.

Beyond the running, participants visited rural villages and met students from local and international schools. Dame Kelly Holmes called the experience transformative, building friendships and demonstrating compassion and determination between athletes from very different backgrounds. The 2020 Orbis Challenge will be led by ultramarathon runner Susie Chan, with a focus on reforestation awareness in Malawi.