Hog Charge is sponsored by Brookside/Peponi Secondary School/COURTESY
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 18 – The 14th annual Hog Charge held last Sunday at Peponi Secondary School and attended by hundreds of fans raised a total of Sh4,201,364.
Hog Charge sponsored by Brookside/Peponi Secondary School is modeled on the annual Rhino Charge but competitors who are drawn from various schools around the country compete in teams of four on mountain bikes rather than motor vehicles.
All Hog Charge funds are placed with veteran entrant to the annual Rhino Charge Car 35 of motor sport enthusiast Mark Tilbury. Tilbury and a team of volunteers run the event as their contribution to Rhino Ark.
Colin Church, chairman, Rhino Ark Management Committee announced at the prize giving that Rhino Ark had already purchased two Land Cruisers and received a donation of a Land Rover by Cooper Motor Corporation to start construction in Mt. Kenya and Mau Eburu.
The partnership project awaits a further Sh100 million in materials which this month will be advertised for procurement purchase to enable construction to start in the first quarter of 2012.
The Highest sponsorship of Sh239,000 was raised by the Hog Rover team of Peponi House followed by team GP Karting Hot Wheels that raised Sh150,000. Third Highest sponsorship of Sh145,000 was from the Horrid Hogs team from Peponi House and the International School of Kenya.
Teams compete in one of the following age and gender categories: Under 12, Under 14 or Open. Each category has three sections: Boys, Girls and Mixed. They navigate their way between series of checkpoints using maps, compasses and common sense.
Each checkpoint is sponsored by a company or an individual that provide refreshments and shade for a bit of rest before competitors move on.
Results are based on the time taken to complete each section by the first three members of each team. There is also a Gauntlet which involves a water splash crossing and is a good spectator venue.
Each team must raise at least 20,000 in sponsorship to qualify for entry. The money raised is donated to the Rhino Ark Charitable Trust and goes towards the construction of Mt. Kenya and Mau Eburu and maintenance of the completed Aberdare project.
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