The friends would create a fun, non-competitive and nurturing environment for women to go out and have a cool multi-day adventure in a place of astounding natural beauty. It would not be a race, it would be a journey – encouraging each other and celebrating one another’s successes. Play would be an integral part of the experience – stopping to swim in rock pools and sipping cool cocktails at friendly local hotels would be obligatory.

The friends swung into action, a date was set and there was a core group of women of varying running abilities, spanning three decades in age. The name of the experience, Wild Women on the Run (WWORT), stuck from the outset. In no time at all there was a waiting list – training schedules were drawn up, group runs were organised, routes were plotted and meetings were held where the women could chat about kit, foot care, backpacks and their contents, river crossings, as well as (importantly) what kind of champagne ought to be purchased.

The 2012 Wild Women group felt incredibly blessed and privileged to be able to be part of this amazing journey that they decided to use it as an opportunity to bless others. They selected two community projects which support both local women and children in the Eastern Cape area in the most extraordinary ways:

www.sponsoranangel.org | African Angels

Bus fare Babies | www.facebook.com

To date, several ‘generations’ of Wild Women have raised over R760 000 for their chosen community projects. Each Wild Woman is obliged to raise a minimum amount towards the two initiatives.

There are 20 permanent Wild Women entry tickets which are only transferable by the current ticket holders… Each Wild Women can participate for 3 years, after which she regifts her ticket to a worthy recipient. In order to get a ticket you need to find a current Wild Woman who is willing to part with hers!

Although it is always sad to say goodbye to any one of the special women in our group, the vision is that each existing Wild Woman will eventually outgrow her ticket and move on to other challenges. She then can bless another woman by passing on her ticket. There is no intention to make this event exclusive, however the group is limited by the fact that volunteer Wild Women organise logistics free of charge.

Moreover, we really want Wild Women to remain an intimate experience where all participants can interact and develop meaningful, authentic relationships with one another.