GPS Kids | Garmin teams with actor/conservationist Edward Norton to sponsor the Maasai Marathon benefitting African conservation

You’re hearing it here first. We have more exciting news leading up to Sunday’s ING New York City Marathon, where we’ve already announced that we’ll be showing off brand-new colors of the FR60 as we support elite American distance runner Ryan Hall’s quest for victory. And now we’re working with another huge name on a mission that goes far beyond fitness: Garmin International, the global leader in satellite navigation, today announced its support of the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust and its Maasai Marathon team, a group of 30 runners led by Edward Norton and three Maasai warriors, who will run in the ING New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 1st.

Norton, a pilot and longtime user of Garmin products for flying, recreation and travel, has used Garmin’s Forerunner 405CX gps kids watch-enabled fitness watch in training and preparing with the Maasai runners for the race. Norton will be downloading his running data to Garmin Connect’s online community, where millions of activities are shared, compared, stored and explored. Garmin has also made a donation to the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust and will help promote the cause at the ING New York City Marathon expo and upcoming events.

“Garmin’s technology has been instrumental in many aspects of MWCT’s work, from aviation to wildlife surveys to creation of conservation databases. This partnership is particularly exciting for us because it’s a company whose products are an integral part of the conservation mission” said Edward Norton.

The mission of the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust is to support the preservation of biodiversity within the Maasai tribal lands of East Africa by promoting conservation, education and health services within the Maasai community. The team, the cause, and the fundraising effort can be tracked on www.maasaimarathon.com

Norton has maximized his training efforts by using Garmin’s Forerunner 405CX to accurately track real-time pace, distance and time while storing his training data and route for post-workout analysis. With hundreds of thousands of acres for training runs on unmarked routes, Forerunner’s gps kids watch capabilities make it easy to see how far, how fast and how to get back to the beginning. And Garmin Connect helps each of these runners share and review their workouts long after it’s over. Supporters can view some of Edward Norton’s training runs at http://connect.garmin.com/explore?owner=maasaimarathonteam.

“Teaming with Edward and the Maasai was a perfect fit for us,” said Stan Brajer, director of Garmin Fitness Sales and Marketing. “We’re able to use our innovative fitness technology to benefit such a worthwhile cause, while getting to work with some of the most remarkable individuals taking part in this year’s ING New York City Marathon.”

Garmin, which has been active throughout its 20-year history with local, national and global charitable efforts, will use its innovative technology and worldwide reach to support the efforts Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust in Kenya.

Some key milestones recently achieved by the MWCT include:

• raising over $750,000 to support the programs in conservation, education and health care in the Maasai community

• preventing killing of any lions or other large predators for the second year in a row through the predator compensation program, resulting in a tripling in the local lion population within 24 months

• opening the new Chyulu Conservation and Research Center; a fully equipped former safari camp, now the headquarters of MWCT and a base for research and collaborative regional conservation efforts

• initiating new collaborations with African Wildlife Foundation, the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Partners in Health and pro bono projects with the companies AECOM and RMJM

• securing a 5000 acre wildlife conservancy zone through a pioneering lease agreement with the community – a major 1st step toward the goal of a conservancy network that preserves ecosystem features while bringing annual revenue to the Maasai

• providing employment and other sustainable income for the local community through one of the worst droughts in memory

Many more details about the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust, the runners, and how to sponsor them can be found at www.maasaimarathon.com, where photos and videos show Norton and the Maasai training with Forerunner in breathtaking surroundings.

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