In 2009, Edward Norton ran the New York Marathon to back a Kenya conservation trust; its work now directly protects 283,000 acres of Maasai land. What began as a highly visible fundraising effort has become part of a much larger story about community-led conservation, wildlife protection and the relationship between people and the landscapes they depend upon. Norton, an actor with a long-standing interest in environmental conservation, joined three Maasai runners and a wider team of participants for the ING New York City Marathon on November 1, 2009.
The campaign was designed not simply to put a celebrity face on conservation, but to raise awareness and financial support for the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust (MWCT), a Kenya-based organization focused on biodiversity, community development, education and health. Contemporary reporting described the marathon as an effort to connect an iconic global sporting event with the protection of East African ecosystems.
