Courtney Hundermark takes a ‘selfie’ after the race wearing his Mouse-Free Marion Runners active shirt and proudly holding his finisher’s medal depicting a globally Endangered Wild Dog – for which the Kruger National Park is one of the few remaining strongholds

One thousand Rands a kilometre?  Mouse-Free Marion Project ambassador, Courtney Hundermark, set the pace – and overtook his target!

Thumbs up for the camera. Courtney shortly before the start of the Kruger Half Marathon; photograph by Amy Hunter

On the first of August 2026, Courtney ran his first major road race, the Kruger National Park’s iconic Skukuza Half Marathon, with a course set among the “big five” and other wild animals.  A committed conservationist, Courtney chose to mark his half marathon via a crowd-funding effort in support of the Saving Marion Island’s Seabirds: The Mouse-Free Marion (MFM) Project, with the initial aim of raising R10 000.  Following two increases to his target, and a 10-day extension, his GivenGain appeal has reached R22 300 (including a R1000 direct donation), overtaking his final target of R21 100, representing R1000 for every one of the 21.1 km he ran.  Courtney’s appeal will be registered as 22 hectares on the MFM Project website’s Honour Roll in the Rockhopper Penguin category.

Courtney writes: “It was an incredible experience to be part of this year’s Skukuza Half Marathon alongside 2000 other runners.  The course itself was tough, and although I didn’t quite manage to keep the overall pace I had hoped for, I would still do it again in a heartbeat (but perhaps with a little more training behind me).  The route was well-maintained, the aid stations all had plenty of water (and fresh fruit) available, and the atmosphere was phenomenal.  I must commend the race organizers for how smoothly everything proceeded – they really made the whole experience a pleasure.”

… with an albatross on his back, and crocodiles in the water. Courtney runs along the earthen dam wall of Lake Panic outside the Skukuza Rest Camp; photograph by Amy Hunter

He continues: “Of course, before and after the race, I made use of every moment to explore as much of the park as possible and had some really special sightings.  Two leopards sharing a tree at sunset, just outside the Satara Rest Camp, was a highlight!  Thanks to my friend Amy Hunter for running the race with me and to Shane Ngwenya for his support from the side of the route.”

The MFM Project, and the threatened albatrosses of Marion Island, are most grateful to Courtney, and to the 55 donors (six anonymous) in South Africa, the Falkland Islands, New Zealand and the United Kingdom who generously contributed to his appeal.

John Cooper. News Correspondent, Mouse-Free Marion Project, 26 August 2026

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Both at risk to Marion Island’s mice: a male Wandering Albatross rests beside its downy chick, now too big to be brooded; photograph by Anton Wolfaardt 

 

The Mouse-Free Marion Project is a registered non-profit company (No. 2020/922433/08) in South Africa, established to eradicate the invasive albatross-killing mice on Marion Island in the Southern Ocean.  The project was initiated by BirdLife South Africa and the South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment.  Upon successful completion, the project will restore the critical breeding habitat of over two million seabirds, many globally threatened, and improve the island’s resilience to a warming climate.  For more information or to support the project please visit mousefreemarion.org.