Will I be eaten by a lion while running in Tanzania?

By Tim Leinbach At dinner before the start of the Kilimanjaro Stage Run (KSR), someone invariably asks, “What happens if a lion chases me?” Simon Mtuy, the founder and lead guide for KSR, never falters in his response, “You don’t have to outrun the lion, you just have to run faster than the guy behind you.” The reality is there are no lions on KSR, and to the relief of most, and disappointment to a few, no dangerous wildlife to encounter at all while running the eight-day, 260-kilometer loop around the base of Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro. Known as the “Roof of Africa,” Kilimanjaro is the world’s tallest free-standing mountain. However, you can try to outrun the old ladies balancing bundles of branches on their heads. Prepare to be humbled by the strength and stamina of the *bibis* (grandmothers) who carry anything and everything on their head (except babies, which go on their backs).

The Humbling Trails of Kilimanjaro and Our Trail Running Vacations Philosophy

I witnessed this first-hand on day six of the KSR three years ago. We were about 25km into the 35km day, trudging up a steep switchback trail to the ridge above the valley formed by a tributary of the Karanga River. It is one of many such valleys we crossed, formed by runoff from Kilimanjaro‘s iconic snow-capped peak. We passed an old woman, no more than 5 feet tall, who looked at least 75 but seemed ageless in her energy. She carried a load of branch cuttings on her head up the steep slope. As we ran past, our lead guide and Tanzanian local, Simon Mtuy, offered to carry her bundle. In one motion he lifted the branches off her head, placed them expertly on his own, and charged swiftly up the hill. With her burden lifted, the *bibi* walked much faster and was keeping pace with us “runners.” While my legs screamed with fatigue, my ego forced me to pick up the pace so as not to be passed by grandma. Reconvening on the ridge, another runner in our group asked if he could try to carry her bundle on his head. The woman obliged. But it required our assistance to mount it and both his hands to stabilize the more than 50-pound load as he walked along. Maintaining his balance while walking 10 feet on flat ground was a challenge, much less a half-mile uphill trail! After many laughs and a long good-bye, the *bibi* skillfully placed the bundle back on her head and wandered along the path into the forest as we all stood flabbergasted. Such serendipitous encounters in which tourist runners and locals meet—equally hot and tired and sweaty from the day’s exhaustion—are what make the KSR so special. This is the heart of what we do at NomaTrails. We look for these moments, these raw, human connections, in all our *Trail Running Vacations*.

Morocco: Unforgettable Trail Running Vacations in the Atlas

Morocco, for example, is one of those places that truly gets under your skin. Abdu, our incredible guide there, he always says it best: “We run 15, 16 miles a day, but it’s about the people, about the experience.” I’ve seen friends, after a tour there, talk about it with tears in their eyes. It’s not just a trip; you leave as friends, truly. We want to keep in touch, see you around. That’s what our Trail Running Vacations Calendar is all about. I remember one morning in the desert, waking up at 3 AM. Running behind Abdu for two hours in the deep sand, the air cool, the world still. We stopped, and the stars… I swear, you could see every single one, so clear, so close. After all that running, all that quiet, we were ready for the most beautiful sunrise you can imagine. Those are the moments we chase, the small groups, the raw, unforgettable moments. Then there’s the Atlas Mountains. I remember one of the most extraordinary days of my life there. We were running in the middle of nowhere, towards a place I didn’t even know. This was deep, like five and a half hours in the opposite direction from where any tourist bus would go out of Marrakech. We were just following the trail, backpacks on, not knowing what was around the next bend. We hit this incredible valley, so far from anywhere, where people live like they did 500 years ago. And the people we met? The most beautiful human beings. I’ve been trying to learn Berber for nine years, and still, it’s a challenge! But then we found this little girl, maybe 12 years old, working in an irrigation channel by a deep canyon. Her face, it was just… pure. Like she’d never seen a cornflakes box. And our kids, they’re little monsters, right? But this girl, she just *ran* to find wood, made a fire for us. Immediately, they invited us for tea. You just say “yes” to that. We went to their house. That’s what I mean about traversing territory, not just running through it. It’s time travel, really. To learn more about the nomadic lifestyle, you can read about it on Wikipedia.

Sicily: Coastal Mountains and Hidden Villages

Or take Sicily. Pasquale Mangione, our guide there, he knows those trails like the back of his hand. He talks about arriving from the sea, then passing through the rural heartland, those deep Sicilian campaigns. From these mountain villages, we climb. Not straight up the peaks, but through the valleys, finding the ‘weak points’ of the mountains, you know? And then we descend back towards the sea. We’ll sleep in a beautiful *borgo* like Isnello, where you can practically see the whole sea from your window. From Isnello, we’ll do another stretch, another run that takes us above Cefalù. The coast there, it just drops into the sea, a real mountain meeting the water. Sometimes, yes, we might need a quick transfer, a small hop, but it’s always to get us to the best spot, like straight to Cefalù for a well-deserved swim in the Mediterranean. It’s a journey from the raw earth to the sparkling sea, all on foot.

The NomaTrails Promise: Transformative Trail Running Vacations

The Kilimanjaro Stage Run, like our own *Trail Running Vacations* in Morocco, Sicily, or here in the Costa Brava, embodies this philosophy perfectly. Tim Leinbach’s story about the *bibis* – the grandmothers – carrying their loads up the mountain, humbling even the fittest runners, that’s it. That’s the real challenge, the real connection. It’s not about outrunning a lion, or even your fellow runner; it’s about sharing a moment, a laugh, a challenge with someone from a completely different world, and realizing we’re all just human, pushing our limits, together. Simon Mtuy, the KSR founder, he designed that trip to be more than just a physical challenge. It’s a culturally immersive experience, just like we strive for. You see how Tanzanians live, work, play. Running through tropical forests, past coffee and banana farms, across savannas, on ancient footpaths. Every day is different. It’s about discovery, about learning life around Kilimanjaro, running as a team, sharing sights, sounds, smells. We pass farmers, school girls, Maasai warriors – sometimes even on their cell phones! They wave, they smile, some even jog with us, laughing. Sometimes they’ll stop us, a bit stern, wondering what these ‘wazungu’ – these foreigners – are doing. But once they understand we’re there to see *their* home, to experience *their* region, they become ambassadors, sending us off with a hearty ‘karibu Tanzania!’ That’s the spirit we live by at NomaTrails. These are the memories, the stories that change you. I always say, be careful, because you will go back home transformed. We’ve seen marriages saved, even new families created, with people telling us, “This baby wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for you guys!” If you’re the kind of person who thinks running point-to-point, discovering a new place every day, exploring a whole itinerary by foot is a good idea, then you’re one of us. You’re welcome to come. This is my family – Cristina, our kids, our friends, our guides – we create these *Trail Running Vacations* experiences. Come join us.