Run Wild Races
Next Event:
May 3, 2025
Metro Richmond Zoo, VA
Racing to save the vulnerable Lion
The 10th Bi-Annual Run Wild Race
May 3, 2025 hosted at the Metro Richmond Zoo. Below are the race options for the upcoming event.
Run Wild:
1Mi
5k
Ninja
Something For Everyone!
Run Wild Races has partnered with the Metro Richmond Zoo to bring fun and animal awareness to those who participate in our events while helping to raise animal conservation funds.
Come run, walk, or ninja your way around the zoo on Saturday, May 3rd! Don’t forget to round up your herd; there is FUN for everyone. Choose from our 3 events: 1 Mile, 5k, and Wild Ninja! Be sure to spot rhinos, zebras, cheetahs and other zoo animals along the race path! After you cross the finish line, each participant can visit the Zoo for FREE! Any spectators that come with you will receive a 10% discount off their zoo admission tickets for race day.
Race day countdown
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Events
Compare Events
Wild Mile
Wild Mile sprint is for all ages, but awards are only given out for children ages 2-11.
The majority of this course goes through the pathways of the zoo and includes a few all-terrain sections (gravel 5%, grass 20%, dirt 5%, pavement 70%). Parents can run with their children, but will also require a ticket. Children 1 and under do not need a ticket. Strollers are permitted but must be able to handle all-terrain.
Wild 5k
This all-terrain 5k starts through the inside of the zoo then spans the perimeter of the Zoo.
The course passes many off-site facilities such as the Cheetah Conservation Center. The all-terrain course consists of mostly dirt, mulch, and grass trails with some gravel and asphalt pathways. The trail has winding turns, some rolling hills, bridges over many creeks, beautiful views, a few steep hills, and sights of exotic wildlife.
Wild Ninja
Wild Ninja is an obstacle course that is not timed, but scored on obstacle completion.
This approx. 2 mile obstacle course is not for the faint of heart. Participants face up to 42 challenging obstacles dispersed throughout the all-terrain trail. Some ninja obstacles are similar to those seen on the hit television series American Ninja Warrior. The obstacles represent real life challenges that animals encounter in the wild for the survival of their species.
Run Wild and support a Wild cause
100% of our net proceeds from this event will benefit:
The Vulnerable Lion
At the current rate of habitat loss and poaching, African lions could be completely extinct by 2050.
Lions are one of the most loved animals in the world and one of the biggest drawcards for travelers to Africa.
Major threats:
Habitat loss and fragmentation, unsustainable trophy hunting, illegal trade in bushmeat, and conflict with local people due to real or perceived threat that lions pose to livestock, are some of the major threats that remaining lion populations face.
Some Facts About Lions in the Wild
The lion population in Africa has decreased by 90% in the last century
There are currently only about 23,000 lions left in the wild
Lions are extinct in 26 of the 54 countries across Africa
Are Lions Endangered?
Lions are currently listed as “vulnerable” on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. In some parts of Africa, lions are classified as “critically endangered” because lion populations are still plummeting at an unprecedented rate.
Our Charity Partner: Lion Guardians
Lion Guardians is a conservation organization dedicated to finding and enacting long-term solutions for people and lions to coexist. Founded in 2006, Lion Guardians began with five Guardians in one small area within the Amboseli-Tsavo ecosystem. Currently, there are Lion Guardians-based projects successfully running in several countries and in our core area of Amboseli, our operations span over close to a million acres. We are committed to workable solutions that are scientifically-driven and transferable across areas.
What We Do
Lion Guardians’ conservation model is adaptable to various cultures and wildlife species. Our approach involves recruiting young, traditional Maasai and other pastoralist warriors to learn the skills needed to effectively mitigate conflicts between people and wildlife, monitor lion populations, and help their own communities live with lions. By actively engaging in our solutions-based conservation model, people who were once lion killers are transformed into lion protectors.
Lions – Metro Richmond Zoo
Lion Guardians – area of Amboseli Africa
Why Run Wild Races?
Run Wild Races was started in the summer of 2020 by Justin Andelin, the Zoo Ninja.
“Fitness and competition have always been an important part of my upbringing. My competitive nature is what inspired me to apply and get onto the 10th season of American Ninja Warrior.
I had never previously been to a ninja gym to train on ninja obstacles for the required body control and awareness needed for success. Nevertheless, I was going to prove to myself that I could complete the obstacles. That was exactly my intention when I stepped onto the tv set in 2018. Needless to say, I was humbled by the third obstacle! Had I previously trained on ninja obstacles, I would have made it much further.
After being on the show, I realized that like myself, there are a lot of people that just want to try ANW style obstacles. Because there are not any ninja gyms in Richmond, I wanted to bring ANW styled obstacles for my community to try. I also wanted to improve on the slow format (1 person at a time) of ANW. My solution: Wild Ninja. I hope you enjoy it.”
Why the Mini, and 5k?
“Simple. I like sprinting, and finding ways to improve my endurance for ninja warrior. I also wanted people to be able to race through the zoo around the animals!”
