Keith Boyd, a British-South African national who is running the entire length of Africa, has decided to push on despite a kidnapping attempt in Ethiopia.
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The 57-year-old successfully reached Cairo this week, shortly after an attempted kidnapping and being held at gunpoint. He told EWN that the attempt by rebel groups to take him and his videographer, Michael, hostage was ‘game over’.
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‘If you get half a kilometre away from the road you might as well be 100 miles from anywhere. The police or the military just won’t find you there.’
He says the gunmen tried to get him to call his Cape Town-based paramedic, Shadley, to bring the pickup vehicle back. ‘Shadley had managed to get away and was actually unaware we were in trouble. I didn’t know that at the time, but I was just not going to phone and bring Shadley back into that mess.’
Luckily, they were able to calm the situation down and strike a deal with the kidnappers. EWN reports that Shadley then appeared, unaware of the danger they were in.
Although the kidnappers claimed to be part of the Fano rebel movement, Boyd could not confirm their involvement. According to Al Jazeera, Fano comprises rebel militiamen who were formerly allied with the Ethiopian government but after refusing to disband in April, the group overran several towns.
Boyd and his team were eventually given a military escort to move an additional 100km. However, it became too dangerous so he skipped to Sudan.
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On 27 April, South Africa will celebrate Freedom Day, commemorating the first post-apartheid elections held in 1994. Boyd’s determination on his Cape Town to Cairo run reflects South Africa’s ongoing journey for progress and freedom.
He took on the challenge to inspire young people to vote and to remind them that anything is possible. ‘If I, an overweight 57-year-old, can break a 26-year standing record in one of the toughest endurance challenges out there in the world, just imagine what you could do if you put your mind to it?’
He has been running for 270 days and is determined to beat the world record for the fastest person to run the length of Africa by more than 30 days, aiming to complete the challenge on 7 May.
According to the BBC, Boyd launched a petition urging the Ethiopian government to allow him to run his final 500km across the country. This will ensure that Guinness World Records officially recognises the attempt.
‘I think it would be a real tragedy if the last 500km scuppered our chances of [breaking the record] and it would be really disappointing if 26 years after the record was set that that’s the only thing that tripped us up,’ he says.
‘It’s down to the Ethiopians now. They’re going to decide whether I can get this record or not. It’s 100% in their hands.’
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Picture: @rainbowrunnerza / Instagram