How far will Charu go this year?

Have you registered for the upcoming Strides for Snow Leopards on June 13?!

If you haven’t yet registered, you can do so here!

On behalf of the Snow Leopard Trust, we hope you are well and staying safe. 

During last year’s event, Snow Leopard Trust Executive Director Charu Mishra kept his promise to run for 24 consecutive hours, logging an incredible 100 miles (161 km) to raise awareness for snow leopard conservation and planetary health. Hundreds of our wonderful supporters spanning 33 countries joined Charu on his journey, collectively covering 2,200 miles (3,540 km). We look forward to continuing that momentum this year!   

So, what is Charu up to this year?

In compliance with lockdowns across India all his training has occurred indoors, compelling him to be adaptive and elusive (much like a snow leopard) about his goal for this year’s event. We do know that in between writing research papers, grant proposals and policy briefs (as well as supporting our Seattle office and Asia-based teams) he has still managed to find time and enthusiasm for an intense training regimen.

Although vaccines for COVID-19 have started to be distributed globally, the pandemic continues to rage in many parts of the world, including Charu’s hometown of Bangalore, India. In light of this and to support a friend’s COVID relief fundraiser, Charu ran 10 half marathons over a two week period. Yes, that’s 13.1 miles ten times over. And if that wasn’t preposterous enough, he casually ran a 37 mile ultramarathon on Sunday. We are concerned for his treadmill.

But we remain curious about what mind-boggling running goal he has set for himself this year, pending what lockdown restrictions allow him to do. We will definitely keep you posted as the plan comes together.

“Running is a fun and exhilarating way to improve individual physical and mental fitness. To be able to connect running with nature conservation – a most worthy social cause – is just wonderful!” – Charu Mishra

While much remains uncertain, one thing we know for sure is that we will always find ways to come together to raise global awareness for snow leopard conservation and ecosystem health.  

And to that end, we hope you are ready to join Charu and so many other snow leopard supporters around the world remotely and safely on June 13!  And don’t worry, we certainly are not expecting you to run 10 half marathons – or even one for that matter. You can simply go for a walk outside, cup of coffee in hand, or participate with any activity of your choice! 

The rest of our staff is excited to participate as well! John from our Seattle office plans to rollerblade for 40 minutes and our full-time field scientist, part-time yogi, Justine will be doing 100 sun salutations. Koustubh will bike his way around Bishkek, and Emily will do likewise in Seattle! So we won’t just be cheering you on from the sidelines.

In honor of SLT’s 40th Anniversary, you can walk for forty minutes, do 40 push-ups or even forward this registration link to 40 friends and encourage them to get active for snow leopard conservation.

What matters is that we will collectively be doing something that motivates us, from all across the globe on Sunday, June 13. In case you are still wondering what to wear for this once-a-year event, here are some options you can consider with our unique #Strides4SnowLeopards design!

We hope you are able to join us in making strides for conservation, and please continue to prioritize your safety and adhere to local guidelines and regulations. 

And let us know in the comments what activity you plan to engage in on June 13!

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.