By: By Lorraine Boissoneault
Published: October 29,2013
Mud on the kart tires in Bolivia. David and
Katharine Lowrie recently completed their 6,400-mile run across the
length of South America. They ran between 20 and 35 miles, 6 days a week
for 15 months to raise money and awareness for wildlife and
conservation. (Photo: 5000 Mile Project)
Most people feel an enormous sense of accomplishment after
running a marathon, crossing 26 miles on their own two feet. For David
and Katharine Lowrie, running a marathon was all part of a day's work as
they ran the length of South America -- 6,504 miles covered in just
over a year.
The Lowries finished their trek on Oct.
20, 2013, about 14 months after setting off in July 2012. From Cabo
Froward at the southernmost tip of South America to the Caribbean Sea
off the Venezuelan coast, the couple took on the enormous challenge as a
way to draw attention to conservation issues in the various
environments of the country. They faced dehydration, malnutrition,
exposure, swarms of insects, venomous snakes and spiders, jaguars and
human violence as they traveled across the continent. Along the way, the
couple ran through rain, snow, hurricane-force winds, high temperatures
that reached 113 degrees, all while dragging a 220-pound trolley behind
them and running around 20 miles each day over rough terrain. They
occasionally ate road kill, and sometimes had trouble finding places to
pitch their tent for the night.
"There were some really tough parts when you're tired and hungry and your body is screaming in pain,
but then there would be another incredible view to lift you out of the
low points," said Katharine in an interview with BirdLife
International.
The adventure was more than just a
stunt and more than a test of human endurance. The couple used their
epic travels to raise around $10,000 for several conservation groups,
including BirdLife International, Asociacion Armonia in Bolivia and
Conservacion Patagonia. They also visited around 1,300 school children and did presentations about wildlife preservation,
says the 5000 Mile Project website. The Lowries hope that their run
will draw attention to some of the most pressing wildlife issues in
South America, from the threatened habitats of the Amazon jungle and the
Andean cloud-forest to the many endangered species (such as the jaguar,
the huemul deer and the blue-throated macaw).
"Around
10,000 years ago the weight of the human population was 1/10 of one
percent of all the earth's biomass, the rest was made up of wild
animals," Katharine wrote in The Independent. "Today, humans, our pets
and domestic animals make up 96 to 98 percent."
Natacha Lazareff takes to the water in Ogii Nuur on leg 9, Aug. 7 2013. (Photo Credit: Richard Dunwoody)
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