Ellie Lacey started Running the Rift Marathon, Uganda with her husband Paul in 2015. It took 18 months of marketing and planning before they were ready to host the inaugural marathon in November 2016 with the help of Steve Williams from Kyaninga Lodge.
Since then Ellie has had a bit of press coverage following unexpected and unexplained liver failure, and an emergency transplant in January 2017. The first question she asked when she was told she’d need a transplant, was if she could travel back to Uganda in November 2017 to host the second marathon! The answer was yes, and go back she did.
Ellie has been actively raising awareness for organ donation in the UK, you can see some of what she’s been up to over on her blog: www.smellyellie.co.uk/in-the-press
About the marathon, she says: “Running the Rift Marathon, Uganda, has been mentally and physically a very important motivator for me. Physically it gave me a goal to get back to after my transplant (I may not run the marathon itself but after the week-long event I feel like I have!). And mentally it is something I can do for my donor, to know that I’m doing something good in the world helps me to thank her for the incredible gift she gave me.”
You can contact Ellie at any time, either to ask about the marathon, or for advice to get back to running after a physical trauma. She’d be very very happy to hear from you: ellie@runningtheriftmarathon.com
