ZAR RAISED
CHARITIES
CONTINENTS
WILD WOMEN
WHEN DID IT ALL START?
“The question isn’t who’s going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me” – Ayn Rand
Trail running on the beach is possibly the closest anyone will get to heaven without actually being there. Wild Women (WW) began as a dream of two Eastern Cape women, Kim Van Kets and Lucille Van Der Merwe, and became a reality in 2012 after they recruited Lisa Van Wyk and Janet Badenhorst to assist with logistics and planning.
The plan for WW was to create a multi-day trail run in a place of astonishing natural beauty (the Wild Coast of South Africa). Equally important to the team was that the run offered a nurturing environment for women to experience an affordable, physically challenging and empowering adventure.
Wild Woman is not a race: but rather a collaborative, supportive, fun journey where close bonds are formed as women encourage one another through tough times and celebrate each other’s successes. Since 2012 more than 85 wild women have run along the beaches and cliffs of the Wild Coast for 3 days making this dream an annual reality.
WHEN DID IT ALL START?
THE EVOLUTION OF WILD WOMEN
Wild Women became a global phenomenon in 2017 when Lucille and her family moved to Beijing, taking with her the spirit of Wild Women. She immediately set about starting a sister branch of WW: Wild Women on the Wall (WWOTW). Since 2019 over 60 women have run, clambered, and climbed for 3 days on and around the Great Wall of China.
In 2023 Lucille relocated to Germany and handed over the reins of WWOTW to an experienced team in Beijing. Wild Women Europe (WWEU) will be launched in early 2024 – watch this space!
WILD WOMEN ETHOS
A significant part of the ethos of Wild Women is the opportunity to give back to the communities in which we live. In recognition of the privilege and gratitude we feel for the opportunity to experience these profound running adventures, it was decided at the inaugural WWOTR that WW should be used as a fundraising opportunity to extend blessing to our communities.
Each WW branch selects local charities to support that focus on women and children. WWOTW and WWEU also donate a portion of their fundraising to the founding WWOTR charities in South Africa.
How to become a Wild Woman
THE ENTRY PROCESS:
There are 20-25 permanent Wild Women entry tickets per region which are only transferable by the current ticket holders. Each Wild Woman may participate for 3 years, after which she regifts her ticket to a worthy recipient. To secure a ticket, a prospective WW must find a current WW 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 every Wild Woman will outgrow her ticket and move on to other challenges. She is then able to bless another woman by passing on her ticket.
There is no intention to make WW exclusive. However, the group size is limited by the need to form intimate relationships with everyone and by the fact that volunteer Wild Women organise all logistics free of charge.
“Behind every successful woman is a tribe of other successful women who have her back.”